Early Thursday morning, the provincial government announced that it would be adding 40 new homes to the M’akloa Housing Society’s Station Avenue development in Langford.

The 40 units of affordable housing are in addition to the 60 that are already under construction, bringing the total number of new homes to 100.

“The housing crisis has left too many families in Langford struggling to afford housing, and that search for a quality home is even harder for Indigenous families,” said premier John Horgan in a news release.

“That’s why — together with Indigenous leaders, Indigenous housing providers and First Nations — we are building new, affordable homes for Indigenous peoples throughout B.C.”

Besides the 100 homes, the Station Avenue development will also include an office space for two Indigenous non-profit societies, M’akola Development Services, and Hulitan Family and Community Services Society.

The affordable housing project is part of the province’s new ‘Building BC: Indigenous Housing Fund’, which is a 10 year plan that promises to build 1,750 new units of social housing for Indigenous peoples around B.C. in the next decade.

Construction of phase 1 of the Station Avenue development — which includes 60 homes in a six-storey apartment building and the office spaces — is expected to complete construction by March 2020.

Rent prices for these units are projected to range from $640 for a studio apartment to $1,500 for a three bedroom unit per month.

“The city is pleased to partner with the Province and the M’akola Housing Society by assisting with development costs associated with this six-storey residential project to be built in Langford,” said Langford mayor Stew Young in the same release.

“Projects like this are good for the community as they create local jobs, which help to boost our economy, and housing affordability is vital to any municipality and has long since been a key priority of city council.”