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Government funds affordable housing in Vernon

38-family Vernon Native Housing Society project breaks ground
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Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That is why, in May 2018, the Government launched the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF), the largest program of its kind in Canadian history.

Thursday in Vernon, Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (Housing and Urban Affairs), on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), announced a $2.27 million federal government financial commitment to help build 38 units at Vernon Native Housing Society’s Thunderbird Manor project.

“We believe everyone deserves an opportunity to succeed and this is why we are extremely happy to be supporting this wonderful project in Vernon through the National Housing Strategy. I am proud to be part of a government that works in a spirit of collaboration with all partners to enable all Canadians to build a better life for themselves and their community,” said Vaughan.

Thanks to this commitment by the NHCF, a pillar initiative of the National Housing Strategy (NHS), and to investments from partners including the Government of British Columbia which provided $7.9 million and the City of Vernon which waived development fees, the Vernon Native Housing Society (VNHS) project will provide homes to at least 38 families and individuals, Indigenous elders, people with accessibility challenges and families living off-reserve.

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“Without this partnership between CMHC, BC Housing, and Vernon Native Housing Society, this project would not have come to fruition,” said Valerie Chiba, president of the Vernon Native Housing Society. “Vernon Native Housing Society is very pleased to have this opportunity to house our Elders, persons with accessibility challenges and aboriginal families, and we look forward to bringing our partnership with BC Housing to another level as we continue our mandate of providing low-cost rental housing to low income individuals of Native and non-Native ancestry.”

Established in 1989, VNHS is a not-for-profit organization that provides low-cost rental housing to low-income families and individuals, including First Nations people residing in the city of Vernon.

“We appreciate the federal government’s contribution to this much-needed affordable housing project. Partnerships like this are key to addressing the housing crisis in British Columbia. I look forward to seeing the positive difference this development will make for the Indigenous families who will call it home,” said Selina Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The $10 million project is located at 5545 27th Ave. Eight units will be fully accessible, 20 will be affordable with rental rates at 80 per cent of the median market rents in the area.

See: LETTER: Thank you to Mayor and Council

“The Aboriginal Housing Management Association is the first of its kind not for profit Indigenous housing authority. We leverage the collective impact of our membership to provide safe and secure housing for urban, rural, and northern Indigenous peoples in the province of British Columbia, Canada,” said Margaret Pfoh, CEO of Aboriginal Housing Management Association.


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Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (Housing and Urban Affairs), announces a $2.27 million federal government financial commitment to help build 38 units at Vernon Native Housing Society’s Thunderbird Manor project. (Brieanna Charlebois/Morning Star)
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Valerie Chiba, president of the Vernon Native Housing Society, is pleased with the opportunity to house Elders, persons with accessibility challenges and aboriginal families. (Brieanna Charlebois/Morning Star)