New supportive housing facility in Lower Post, B.C., opening soon

A new supportive housing facility in Lower Post, B.C., is just two months away from welcoming its first tenants.

The facility is owned and will be operated by the Lower Post Housing Society.

Named "Sa-Koh", which means "my home" in the Kaska language, the 16-unit facility is designed to support women and men who are experiencing violence and/or homelessness, and to provide them with a hand up.

Catherine Porter is a councillor with the Daylu Dena Council and the Sa-Koh project lead.

"There's always a need," Porter explained to CBC News. "We're in a housing crisis and that's for all First Nation communities, so this is a big one for us."

Porter said this housing project began two years ago in collaboration with B.C. Housing and the Daylu Dena Council.

She said the community was a part of the process the entire time, weighing in on the scope of design and tailoring the supportive programs to fit the needs of the community.

"The programs include alcohol and substance abuse," she explained. "Educational needs, cultural support, mental health support, and of course developing those life skills such as financial planning and budgeting."

Porter said even the structural design of the building was carefully planned out.

"It kind of looks like an L," she said."One side is for the women and one side is the supportive housing. It was decided because it kind of mirrors the river and it connects both programs together."

The finished building comes with a total cost of $16 million.

Porter said thanks to funding support from the B.C. government, residents can be offered a unit for a very reasonable price.

"A one-bedroom is $375," she told CBC News." A two-bedroom is $475, and a three-bedroom is $575." 

Porter said power, television, heating and two meals a day — one hot and one cold — are included in the rent.