Valemount one of six B.C. communities to receive support for housing needs

VALEMOUNT – Six B.C. communities will benefit from provincial funding that supports local governments to report on their community housing needs so they can deliver more diverse and affordable homes.

“Now more than ever, people need safe and affordable housing,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Local governments and First Nations know their communities best, and they are essential partners in addressing the housing crisis. This funding enables them to determine specifically the kind of homes people in their regions need, so they can use this information to support their planning and decision-making. Understanding the specific housing needs in communities is part of working together to continue to build and support healthy and resilient communities throughout B.C., now and into the future.”

In 2018, the Province committed $5 million over three years (2019-21) under the Housing Needs Report Program to help local governments and modern Treaty Nations collect and analyze housing-related data from their communities. The data includes population, household income, significant economic sectors and current and anticipated housing units. Funding recipients are from the fourth intake of the program, which is administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

“The lack of affordable housing and the need for additional supportive housing options are common to many B.C. communities, but the specific needs vary considerably from one place to the next,” said Brian Frenkel, president, UBCM. “The Housing Needs Report Program is designed to strengthen the data available to inform local decision-making to ensure that new developments, whether market-based or supportive, address the needs of communities today and tomorrow. I am very pleased to see the funding that is being delivered to these communities and its potential to bring local housing needs into greater focus.”