Connective Support Society with assistance from province and Rental Protection Fund help preserve 25 units of affordable housing

KAMLOOPS — Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon was in Kamloops on Wednesday to announce the safeguarding of affordable homes in the community. Through the province’s contributions and the BC Rental Protection Fund, 25 units will remain in the hands of families and individuals along Tranquille at Riverside Gardens.

The building has a mix of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom homes that are affordable and well-maintained, with rents more than 40% lower than market rates in Kamloops

The BC Rental Protection Fund provided $2.8 million dollars in capital contributions to purchase the building, which totaled $4.8 million, keeping it from being redeveloped into market housing.

“These 25 units are going to make a big difference for people in this community, for the people that live here, and we are seeing these units being bought everywhere. Just over 50 per cent of all the buildings that were sold in the last year were bought by the rental protection fund, bought by not for profits, we know that is a good thing,” said Kahlon.

Homes on the property range from approximately $800 a month for a studio unit to approximately $1,235 a month for a two-bedroom unit, on average, helping fill a needed role in the housing continuum.

“These tenants are the ones that are so often left behind by everything else, they may make just a little bit to much to qualify for traditional subsidized housing, you see that with pensioners in particular a lot. But they are a long way from being able to afford market rent,” said Katie Maslechko, CEO of the Rental Protection Fund.

The building, which will be operated by Connective Support Society Kamloops, is the rental protection funds first foray into the local market, but likely not their last.

“There are thousands of units at risk across the province. Part of why we were established in the first place is because for every new unit that was being built we were losing five in the process,” said Maslechko.

Neil Blabey moved into riverside gardens in February after spending time using other social services around the city, all after spending forty years as a commercial driver.

“I spent some around the 12-13 of September over at the Mustard Seed. But at that time i wasn’t getting any more funds coming in after the middle of August. I applied for my pension, I still haven’t got them all yet,” Blabey told CFJC News.

Now with stability over his head, he’s able to start living as opposed to simply surviving. That to is the provinces goal in Kamloops and beyond.

“People go from fear of losing their homes, to relaxed and comfortable, because not only do they stay in their homes, but their homes are actually better condition because the not for profits are putting in money to make sure they are good living conditions,” said Kahlon.