Kamloops hotel to be converted into supportive housing
ASK Wellness to convert the Fountain Hotel in Kamloops into 24 new units for people with chronic health issues
Kamloops will soon be home to 24 new supportive housing units.
The Fountain Hotel on Columbia Street will be converted into housing for people with chronic health issues.
According to recent release, the B.C. government is providing $2.5 million in funding to make the project a reality. ASK Wellness, a community non-profit put in the successful application to convert the hotel.
Since the group took possession of the building on Nov. 1, 2016, 10 of the units have been used to provide temporary housing for people who have just been discharged from the hospital.
Housing planned for clients age 50 and over
The plan for the remaining 14 units is to provide longer term housing to people 50 years and over who are dealing with chronic health problems. These units will not be made available until the building has been properly rezoned.
"We can provide an affordable housing setting that is in the downtown core for folks that really need to be close to health resources," said ASK Wellness executive director Bob Hughes.
He says he was seeing high demand for this kind of housing in the community. The non-profit already runs over 230 apartments in the community at sites including the Crossroad Inn.
"We can't do everything all at once in one location and we wouldn't want to," he said.
"We're really trying stratify where we put some of our services."
- Lack of affordable housing has reached a "crisis level" says ASK Wellness
- Canada's housing crisis is a public health emergency
The Interior Health Authority is in support of the new housing options.
"Without a safe and secure roof over their heads and wrap-around health services readily available, some of our at-risk clients with more complex mental-health needs may not be in a position to fully recover from the condition that resulted in a hospital stay," said Interior Health board chair Erwin Malzer in the release.
"With this announcement, we will now have dedicated, year-round availability to support some of our more vulnerable clients transition to a stable health and housing setting."
There are still renovations of some of the units that need to be completed at the former hotel including updates to the inside and outside of the building.
Hughes says he hopes those improvements will be completed by June of 2017