The town of Smithers joins seven other communities across the province working on including modular housing as part of their solution to address homelessness.
The local housing project is part of the government’s $300 million dollar investment to build 2000 units across various communities.
Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Selina Robinson, says the town’s supportive housing unit offers those in the community a secure transition into longer-term housing.
“We need to recognize that people who are homeless, they really do want a different life. And they want to contribute, and they want to participate and sometimes what they need is a bit help – and that is what we are doing.”
The housing project at Queen and Railway is a 24-unit complex with access to other community services aimed at assisting the individual holistically.
“Whether it’s education support, employment support, health and wellness support, people need to be connected to their community. Just putting people in to a room doesn’t help move them through other life choices that they need to make in order to have a successful healthy life.”
Prince Rupert and Terrace are other communities in the north committing to similar projects.