BC Housing spent more than $730M in Thompson-Okanagan in past five years
The province, through BC Housing, has spent big bucks in the past five years trying to improve housing options for those most in need in the Thompson-Okanagan region.
A total of $731.3 million was spent in the region’s five largest cities from the 2018/19 fiscal year through 2022/23, according to figures provided to iNFOnews.ca by BC Housing.
That means the total, when smaller communities are counted in, is likely in the $1 billion range.
The spending reached almost $243 million in Kelowna and $192 million in Kamloops.
Those figures include construction grants and operating costs for housing along with shelter spaces and rental supplements.
BC Housing did not break down the numbers by category.
While Kelowna, as the region’s largest city, got the most money, on per capita basis it lagged far behind others at $1,520 per capita.
Penticton, proportionately, fared the best at $2,761 per capita with Vernon close behind at $2,609.
Kamloops came in at $1,792 and West Kelowna at $1,734.
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BC Housing also provided a list of the number of new housing units completed or underway that it has funded in those five cities since 2017, and again the split is disproportionate to population.
Kelowna with 1,150 homes got the most, but per capita that was the second lowest ratio at 720 per 100,000 (based on 2023 population estimates).
West Kelowna’s 278 units ranked it at the bottom with 690 per 100,000.
Vernon fared the best with 519 units or 1,100 per 100,000. Kamloops had 981 units or 920 per 100,000.
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