The plan to house the most vulnerable in Hope moved a few slow steps forward this week.
BC Housing is working toward creating a 56-bed supportive housing unit on a 1.95 acre portion of Fraser Health’s land at the hospital. The three-storey building also now includes 15 shelter beds.
District of Hope council has to amend the Official Community Plan to allow for comprehensive development (CD-10) at the site. That process involves a public hearing, which will be set by district staff.
That will give the public another chance to engage with officials on the project.
The plan is being presented by BC Housing, Fraser Health and Hope and Area Transition Society (HATS), and involves a 20-year lease for the land. A three-storey modular building would include two floors of apartment units, with lounge spaces, medical beds, offices, kitchens and the shelter beds on the main floor.
Each unit would have a kitchenette, sleeping area, dining area and full-sized washroom, and residents will pay rent. There will be a meal program to ensure food security.
An online public consultation meeting was held Feb. 24, following the unveiling of plans for the 7th Avenue property. The most current plan reflects some changes based on feedback from that process, district staff said in council Monday night. The building will potentially be built at the front corner of the hospital property, set back from 7th Avenue and the hospital access road.
In March, representatives told The Standard that Hope has about 100 people without homes. It’s a number that has grown quickly over the past few years, as it has in other Fraser Valley communities.
Gerry Dyble, executive director of HATS said she was optimistic from local feedback following the February consultation that attitudes have shifted in Hope toward offering supportive housing, with an agreeable location in place.
The public hearing will be held on Aug. 29.
READ MORE: Community consultation in Hope for proposed supportive housing and shelter
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