Work is underway at Drake Road, where contractors are preparing the site to receive a special delivery in early 2025: three dozen new housing units for Salt Spring Island, according to provincial officials.
Permanent purpose-built supportive housing is being constructed at a factory off-site using modular construction methods, BC Housing said, so islanders won’t be able to watch the build over time. But the provincial housing agency said it expects the structures to be transported to 161 Drake Rd. and craned into place in the new year, with occupancy slated for mid to late 2025.
The effort will bring 32 studios for supportive housing, as well as four additional affordable rental units to be made available for people with low to moderate incomes, according to BC Housing. The supportive and affordable housing will be accessible through separate entrances, the agency added.
Supportive housing is meant to provide homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. BC Housing had originally announced it would build 28 units of supportive housing at the 5.5-acre parcel back in January of 2022, as the agency — and then-Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing David Eby — touted the fast-tracking of the project on land leased from the Capital Regional District.
When the new units are ready, BC Housing said, they will be offered through its Coordinated Access and Assessment process, “to ensure an appropriate mix of residents with the right supports live in the housing.”
Eligible people living at Kings Lane will be considered first, the agency added, referring to those currently supported at temporary modular units BC Housing erected on land leased from the Gulf Islands Seniors Residence Association (GISRA), initially to house people displaced by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation’s purchase of the Seabreeze Inne.
No pricing for rents for the four affordable units has been announced.
A non-profit operator will be selected to operate the site through a request for proposals (RFP) process, according to a BC Housing spokesperson, who told the Driftwood they expected the RFP to be posted before the end of this year.