Artistic rendering of 461 Quatsino Boulevard
KITIMAT – Women and children leaving violence will soon have access to safe and secure homes as construction begins on a 44-unit housing development in Kitimat.
The project is a partnership between the Province, through BC Housing, the federal government, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the District of Kitimat and the Tamitik Status of Women Association.
“The District of Kitimat is proud of its support and to see this housing become a reality. This development means a safer community for our residents who need that support the most. The on-site daycare at this facility will also provide an immense benefit to our local families and will support our residents’ ability to work in the community,” said Phil Germuth, mayor of the District of Kitimat.
The new four-storey building will include a 12-bed transition house, 12 units of second-stage housing and 20 units of permanent affordable housing for women and their children leaving violence in Kitimat and the surrounding area.
The transition house and second-stage housing will provide short-term accommodation with on-site supports for women leaving violence, including transgender women, non-binary and Two- Spirit people, and their dependent children. The development will provide women and their children the opportunity to seamlessly move from the transition house spaces into the second-stage units and affordable townhomes.
The District of Kitimat, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Child Care and Haisla Nation, is developing a 24-hour childcare facility on the same site.
The Tamitik Status of Women Association will operate the new development and will provide on-site support services such as safety planning, crisis intervention, parenting support and tenancy skills.
“To say TSW is thrilled to see our project come to fruition is an understatement. There aren’t words to describe what this project means to us, not only as an agency that has led our local gender equality and anti-violence sectors for over 45 years, but also as women who live by the credo of women supporting women. This project is a testament to what is possible when we open our hearts and minds to helping others. The need for safe and affordable housing for women and their children has always existed in Kitimat, whether it’s been apparent or not. This project presents the opportunity for TSW to better serve our clientele and we cannot wait to welcome those who need it into the safe space we’ve been carefully curating for years,” said Michelle Martins, executive director of Tamitik Status of Women Association.
Rent for the second-stage housing and townhomes will be calculated at 30 per cent of residents’ income or the provincial shelter rate for people receiving income or disability assistance. Since transition house spaces provide an immediate safe space for women to start rebuilding their lives, people using those spaces will not have to pay rent.
The Province, through BC Housing, is providing approximately $17 million to the project through the Building BC: Women’s Transition Housing Fund and will also provide annual operating funding. The District of Kitimat is providing $471,000 and will lease the land, valued at $244,000, at a nominal rate, the federal government, through CMHC, $25,000 in seed funding and Vancity is contributing $15,000.
