$6.2M SUPPORTS AFFORDABLE ABORIGINAL HOUSING

KAMLOOPS – Aboriginal students, singles and families will have access to 19 new units of affordable housing at a $6.2-million development that officially broke ground today with the help of provincial and community partners, announced Claude Richmond, MLA for Kamloops.

“The Province wants to provide housing solutions that meet the needs of British Columbians who have low-to-moderate incomes – including Aboriginal people who live off reserve,” said Richmond. “This new development will benefit the Aboriginal community in Kamloops by providing stability and opportunities through safe, affordable housing.”

The Province provided a capital grant of $5.8 million through the Aboriginal Housing Initiative (AHI), which was created to provide funding to develop new, affordable housing for Aboriginal people living off-reserve and to meet long-term Aboriginal housing needs. The City of Kamloops provided $45,000 towards the purchase of the property and $112,081 in development cost relief.

“This development will make a real difference for families who will call it home and for the community of Kamloops as a whole,” said City of Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar. “Building a better life and the ability to pursue opportunities begins with having stable and affordable housing.”

Kamloops Native Housing Society (KNHS) will oversee the construction and manage the development. The society was one of the successful proponents following a proposal call for AHI housing developments issued in 2007 in consultation with the Aboriginal Housing Management Association (AHMA). Formed in B.C. in the mid-1990s, AHMA is the only Aboriginal social housing management agency in Canada.

“There is a broad range of housing needs in Kamloops and throughout the Province, which the Aboriginal Housing Initiative helps to address,” said Andrew Leach, CEO of AHMA. “The Aboriginal Housing Initiative helps provide new resources to create a range of affordable housing. This development will give Kamloops Native Housing Society the ability to help more of their clients find affordable housing options.”

“Our society was formed to help people of Aboriginal ancestry in Kamloops to find affordable rental housing,” said Jacqueline Johnson, executive director of KNHS. “Through this development, we are meeting our goal of providing safe and stable and comfortable housing for Kamloops individuals and families with low to moderate incomes.”

The Aboriginal Housing Initiative has allocated 200 housing units in eight communities across the province. The units are being funded with $50.9 million in one-time funds through the Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust, which was transferred from the Government of Canada to the Province and is designed to address the housing needs of clients, like those of the KNHS. The Province is working in consultation with AHMA to administer the trust.

In 2009/10, the Province's budget for affordable housing and shelters is $469 million, more than four times as much as in 2001. For a comprehensive and detailed look at provincial programs and services to address homelessness, visit the 'Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness' website www.bchousing.org/breakingthecycle for more information.

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Contact:

Rhonda Nguyen

BC Housing

604 439-4740

604 374-8301 (cell)

Shannon Wallis

City of Kamloops

250 828-3494

Jacqueline Johnson

Kamloops Native Housing Society

250 376-6332

1 backgrounder(s) attached.


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