Work has started on a new 51-unit supportive housing complex in Vernon

More supportive housing

Photo: TPCS

Work is underway on another supportive housing complex in Vernon.

The 51-unit apartment, called The Willows, is being built at the former Howard House location at 2307 43rd Street, next to the Turning Points Collaborative Society Our Place shelter.

The new building will provide homes for people experiencing, or area at risk of, homelessness.

The project was first announced in 2019, but construction on the site began late last year.

“The importance of safe, secure housing for people experiencing homelessness cannot be overstated,” said MLA Harwinder Sandhu in a press release from 2022. “When people without homes are provided a place to call their own with personalized supports to help them succeed, our whole community benefits.”

The development will be a four-storey modular building with 51 self-contained units, including three one-bedroom units for couples and five accessible units for people living with disabilities. Each unit will have its own private washroom and kitchenette. The building will also have a commercial kitchen, laundry facilities and storage space.

This is the third such facility to be built in Vernon with My Place opening in 2019 and The Crossings opening in 2022, both of which are side by side in the 2600 block of 35th Street.

All three facilities will be managed by Turning Points which will provide residents with support services, including daily meals, life-skills training, employment assistance, counselling, physical and mental-health resources, and referrals to addiction treatment and recovery services.

The site will have staffing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide around-the-clock support to residents.

This project is part of government’s 10-year, $7-billion housing plan. Since 2017, the province has funded nearly 34,000 affordable new homes that have been completed or are underway for people in B.C., including more than 580 homes in Vernon.