GRAND FORKS - The Province, through BC Housing, and the City of Grand Forks have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) formalizing their commitment to work together to develop new housing for people in the community.

"New affordable housing is needed across the province and our government is committed to doing our part to ensure supply keeps up with demand," said Murray Rankin, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing. "We're proud to partner with the City of Grand Forks and I look forward to working collaboratively to deliver housing solutions that meet the needs of people in the community."

As part of the MOU, BC Housing and the City of Grand Forks have agreed to work together to replace the Hardy View Lodge shelter at 2320-78th Ave., which is operating under a temporary-use permit and is set to close by March 31, 2023.

The City of Grand Forks will propose municipally owned properties or other sites that may be suitable for a new shelter or supportive housing building for BC Housing's consideration. BC Housing will then evaluate the proposed sites and handle all aspects of designing, building and securing funding for the project.

"The council and Province have worked together to find mutually agreeable and beneficial strategies to help solve the housing crunch in Grand Forks," said Brian Taylor, mayor, Grand Forks. "This MOU sets the tone for upcoming collaboration, ensuring that any new housing meets the needs of the community and is built in the most suitable locations. I would also like to thank Coun. Baker for undertaking this project as the council's liaison to BC Housing."

In addition, BC Housing will explore the sale of the property at 7382-2nd St. to the city for the future development of a new affordable housing project. BC Housing would work with the city to identify suitable funding programs for the building and will update the public as these discussions progress.

Both the city and BC Housing agree that there are better locations in the community for a shelter or supportive housing project than the 7382-2nd St. and 2320-78th Ave. sites. 

This MOU builds on B.C.'s 10-year, $7-billion housing plan. Since 2017, the Province has funded more than 36,000 affordable new homes that have been completed or are underway for people in B.C., including more than 90 homes in the Kootenay-Boundary area.

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/