BURNABY - A redevelopment project is underway in Burnaby to create 61 new affordable rental homes for low- and moderate-income families, seniors and people living with developmental disabilities.

"The construction of this project helps ensure a supply of quality, affordable homes for people in Burnaby, so they aren't forced to move away from the community they call home," said Raj Chouhan, MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds. "Thank you to the L'Arche Foundation of Greater Vancouver, the federal government and the City of Burnaby for working with our government to deliver homes that will provide an affordable place to live for a range of people in need."

Located at 7415 Sussex Ave., the project will replace three outdated group-home buildings that have been demolished with 39 new rental units for families and seniors, and 22 group-home units for adults living with developmental disabilities. Once construction is complete, group- home residents who relocated during construction will have the option of moving into the new development with no change to their rent.

The L'Arche Foundation of Greater Vancouver will operate the new homes, which are scheduled to be complete in summer 2024.

"Through this process of redevelopment, we have discovered there are not many communities that intentionally mix different segments of the population and dare to push the boundaries of facilities for people living with disabilities and residential living for families, individuals and seniors in order to invite the creation of a new type of community," said Tracey Brezovski, executive director, L'Arche Greater Vancouver. "We are confident that this is only the beginning of a bigger movement within our society for alternative ways of living where belonging becomes a way of life."

The Province is contributing $6.7 million from the Building BC: Community Housing Fund for the project and will provide annual operating funding of approximately $300,000. The project is also receiving $854,000 from the Government of Canada and the Province by way of the Canada-British Columbia Bilateral Agreement on Housing. The City of Burnaby is providing a $1.5 million grant.

Quotes:

Terry Beech, Member of Parliament for Burnaby North-Seymour -

"Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Our government continues to find ways to create more affordable homes that meet the needs of Canadians, including right here in Burnaby. This is one of the ways our National Housing Strategy in ensuring no one is left behind."

Mike Hurley, mayor, City of Burnaby -

"The City of Burnaby is proud to support this project and the quality homes it will provide for people in our community. When we come together, we can achieve great things and partnerships like this are a great way to respond to our housing crisis."

Quick Facts:

• This project is part of B.C.'s 10-year, $7-billion housing plan. Since 2017, the Province has funded nearly 32,000 affordable new homes that have been completed or are underway for people in B.C., including more than 2,400 homes in Burnaby.
• The Community Housing Fund is a provincial investment of $1.9 billion to build more than 14,000 affordable rental homes for low- and moderate-income families and individuals over 10 years. More than 8,900 of these homes are already open, under construction or in development.
• Canada's National Housing Strategy is a 10-year plan worth more than $72 billion that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
• To help Canadians find affordable housing, the federal Budget 2021 provides an additional $2.5 billion over seven years in new funding and reallocates $1.3 billion in previously announced funding to speed up the construction, repair and support of more than 35,000 additional housing units.

Learn More:

A map showing the location of all announced provincially funded housing projects in B.C. is available online: https://www.bchousing.org/homes-for-BC

To learn about the steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for British Columbians, visit: https://workingforyou.gov.bc.ca/