Kelowna's new tiny home village will provide stability, says minister
CBC
The province of British Columbia says dozens of people residing in Kelowna homeless shelters will soon find a place to call their own.
The province unveiled a 60-unit tiny home village on a city-owned lot at 759 Crowley Ave. in Kelowna's industrial district on Friday.
Known as STEP Place, the new temporary housing initiative will not only offer a roof over people's heads, but also a range of support services, said B.C. Minster of Housing Ravi Kahlon.
"They're gonna get support, they're gonna get meals, they're gonna get life-skills training so that people can get the stability in their lives," Kahlon said.
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Tiny home models have been used elsewhere in the province, most notably on Vancouver Island.
In Victoria, the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and local builder Aryze Developments crowdfunded to build a 30-unit temporary tiny home village in a parking lot. In Duncan, there is a 34-unit shipping container village.
Plans are also underway for a similar government project in Prince George.
While not the first of its kind in the province, Kahlon said Kelowna's tiny home initiative stands out for its rapid completion — the entire process took just over four months from the initial pitch to the project's opening.
"Normally it takes us six to nine months to get housing set up in communities once we've identified the location," the minister said.
In Vancouver, construction of a 10-unit tiny shelter pilot project at 875 Terminal Ave., was completed in December 2023, 22 months after it was approved.
"I actually go to communities throughout B.C. and say … if you want to do it in a quick way, look at what Kelowna is doing," Kahlon added.
Each of the supportive housing units are 60 square feet and contain a bed, dresser and access to a communal bathroom, laundry and kitchen facilities, according to the John Howard Society of Okanagan and Kootenay, the non-profit responsible for running the tiny home village.
"It will be a place for healing and progress, a step on the path forward," said Patricia Bacon, the organization's executive director.
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