Within months, Burnaby is expected to have two new housing options for homeless people.

Despite delays, a 52-unit modular supportive housing complex is expected to be complete and occupied on Norland Avenue by mid-June. And the city hopes to have a permanent shelter up and running around the same time.

article continues below

Both facilities will be firsts in the city.

The province first announced the Norland project in May, 2018 as part of its Rapid Response to Homelessness program. The NDP government has pledged $7.6 million to build the homes at 3986 Norland Ave.

Burnaby-based Progressive Housing Society will manage the site.

The small studio apartments will include bathrooms, kitchens and beds. Residents will have access to a full suite of services, including laundry, life-skills training, health care and meal programs.

The building was originally slated to be complete this month, but was “held up due to site constraints and slight delays with the rezoning and permitting process,” B.C. Housing spokesperson Rajvir Rao wrote in an email.

The city has finalized rezoning the empty lot and is expected to issue a building permit by March 21, “at which time crews will begin construction and pouring the foundation,” she said.

Rao said the process has also been delayed because specialists had to be called in to clear invasive knotweed from the site.

But the new homes will be complete soon after the foundation has hardened, thanks to the modular approach. The housing units are already built and are sitting in a Kamloops factory, waiting to be shipped to Burnaby on April 20, Rao said.

“By the time the modulars arrive at the site, 95 per cent of the assembly will be complete,” she said. “For the remainder of the project, crews will be working on electrical, plumbing, interior finishing, exterior finishing, parking lot, surfacing, sidewalk and road development.”

Rao said the new building should be complete and occupied by mid-June.

Jaye Treit, executive director of Progressive Housing Society, said the project will soon have an official name, to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, the City of Burnaby is working to establish its first year-round homeless shelter.

Mayor Mike Hurley said the municipality will provide space in an existing city-owned building, but the exact location has yet to be determined. The province will provide funding, while a third-party non-profit will be in charge of the day-to-day operations, he said.

Despite many of the details yet unconfirmed, Hurley said he’s confident the shelter will open by the end of June.

The city’s overnight warming centre at its operations centre on Beresford Street will remain open until the shelter is ready to take people in, Hurley said.

The city’s four warming centres were spearheaded by Hurley and opened in December, soon after his election. The facilities provide washrooms, sleeping mats, hot beverages and snacks to anyone wanting to come inside at night.

The warming centres at Swangard Stadium, Kensington Pitch and Putt Clubhouse and South Central Youth Centre are scheduled to close at the end of March.