FILE PHOTO - Rosethorn supportive housing opened in January 2020.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

B.C. Housing and the City of Kamloops have signed an agreement to work together on future housing projects and shelters in the city.

The Crown corporation and the city announced earlier this week that they have signed a memorandum of understanding that formalizes the agreement, according to a press release issued by the province.

As noted in the MOU, the province, through B.C. Housing, and the city will work collaboratively on finding locations for housing projects and shelters.

READ MORE: Supportive housing, complex care priority for Kamloops: B.C. housing minister

Thus far, 369 affordable rental homes for families and seniors, approximately 133 supportive homes and more than 100 shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness have been opened in the city.

“The city and B.C. Housing partnership is vital to combating the housing crisis we are facing,” said Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian, in the press release. 

READ MORE: Time has come to move beyond Housing First model for homeless people in Interior Health

In addition to working together to identify potential sites for new housing projects and shelters, the MOU includes commitments by B.C. Housing and the city, including:

• B.C. Housing providing letters of intent to Kamloops City Council when proposing new housing projects
• The city completing a land-use analysis in 2022 to identify areas for use as shelters
• The city supporting B.C. Housing, where needed, to navigate the municipal approval process for future shelter and housing projects.

Ten housing projects listed in the MOU are already underway or proposed in Kamloops. Through provincial investments since 2017, nearly 1,300 new homes have been completed or are in progress in the city.

A summary and a link to the agreement is available online.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

News from © iNFOnews, 2022