The ribbon has been cut on a new $6 million affordable housing complex in Witset and people are starting to move into their new homes.
Located on-reserve at Witset First Nation, the three-storey, wood-frame structure will be operated by the Yikh Lhiw Dinle Housing Society.
The building features 26 units, consisting of studio and two-bedroom homes for elders, individuals and families.
The building has shared amenity spaces to facilitate social gatherings and community cohesion, as well as common laundry and counselling spaces.
According to a joint press release from the federal and provincial governments, construction of the new homes has helped strengthen the local economy by providing opportunities for training and employment to members of the Witset First Nation.
This included no-cost training to local participants by Passive House Canada and Yellowridge Construction, funded by the Forestry Innovation Investment Wood First Program, as well as hiring local Witset contractors and tradespeople.
The building was constructed to meet Passive House standards, which require buildings to consume up to 90 percent less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings. Monthly rents for the new homes will range from $375 to $840. The Province of BC, through BC Housing, partnered with Witset First Nation to construct the building.
“With this new opening, people of Witset First Nation can live affordably in their home territory, close to family, community and culture. I applaud the leadership of the Witset First Nation for meeting the needs of their members and building these new homes,” said Nathan Cullen, MLA for Stikine.
The project was funded with $500,000 in joint funding through the Canada-British Columbia Bilateral Agreement under the National Housing Strategy and $5.5 million from the Province through BC Housing via the Indigenous Housing Fund and approximately $250,000 in annual operating funding.
“This rental development will be a great addition to the community of Witset in terms of affordable housing. We are able to reduce the housing waitlist by 25 per cent by just this one building. On behalf of the board of Yikh Lhiw Dinle Housing Society we would like to thank BC Housing for funding this opportunity and also thank Cornerstone Architecture, Lu’ma Development Management and Yellowridge Construction for their involvement. We would not have been able to do this without all the partners,” said Lucy Gagnon, executive director, Witset First Nation.