The location between third and fourth avenue on London Street where the new facility will be located

By Tommy Osborne

Homeless

City of Prince George makes big investment to battle homelessness

Jan 17, 2024 | 4:05 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The City of Prince George recently announced a $468,126 investment into a new transitional housing facility. Located at the entrance of Moccasin Flats between 3rd and 4th Avenue on London Street, this new unit is expected to hold 44 units to house 88 people.

“It is a significant (investment), whether the number (of rooms) are enough or not we will see, because as we all know the number is dynamic and hopefully it’s enough. this transitional housing, it’s (capacity) is more than the people right now using Moccasin flats,” Mayor Simon Yu said.

Mayor Yu explained the units will have access to drinking water, bathrooms, food services, and of course a room to stay. Beyond the 44 rooms there will also be space for additional trailers. Given that it’s transitional housing, this facility is expected to be more than just a shelter to stay for a night, as transitional housing units typically serve as a space for people trying to get out of homelessness.

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“This year, hopefully we’ll be able to as a city end encampments once and for all,” he said.

Construction won’t start right away, as City Council will also need to apply for a temporary use permit once BC Housing has applied for one at a further date. This is on top of the necessary formal lease agreement with BC Housing for use of the subject property. Despite these additional steps, Mayor Yu is optimistic work will begin quickly, as he hopes the rest of the project will move forward at a rapid pace.

“Realistically, the work will begin immediately when the ground thaws out and infrastructure will be put in place. These are modular units, so the installation with the fence, it should happen within a month. So I expect this summer, before the onset of next winter for sure,” he said.

Yu added site service connections and grading work will be expedited in an effort to match the speedy timeline.

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