The Alliance to End Homelessness in the Capital Region applauds the Federal government’s $2B investment in the BC Builds initiative. The program focuses on building thousands of rental homes on public land that is underused. 20 potential sites have already been identified. The 8000-10000 rental units are aimed at providing middle-income earners some respite as more and more people struggle to access affordable housing which directly contributes to housing precarity and potentially, homelessness. For years, housing advocates have been asking governments for rent-geared-to-income housing where no more than 30 percent of income is spent on rent. With the rising costs of basic necessities, this is one of the many measures that our governments can undertake with a lens of homelessness prevention.
BC Builds will also use lower government borrowing rates to reduce construction costs. The province has also alluded to streamlining approval for projects to be completed in less than 18 months and local governments are looking at their processes to ensure that this ambitious plan is realized. As part of its mandate, the Alliance will continue to monitor and support progress on these initiatives through our shared accountability framework.
Strengthen the voice of the Alliance by becoming a member or by donating https://victoriahomelessness.ca/donate-now/. Help our organization realize our shared vision of a region, a province, and a country where everyone has a safe place, they can call home.
