United Church to build 414 affordable units

B.C. Premier John Horgan was in CoquitlamFridaymorning to promote the provincial government's role in helping the United Church build 414below-market rental housing units in four locations.

The four churches, which are facing declining membership and aging facilities, are working with developers to buildaffordable rentalhousing and new church facilities on existing church sites.

"The United Church in B.C. has more property than we need," said Terry Harrison, property resource team lead, B.C. Conference of the United Church of Canada.

The first 75 units are being built by the Como Lake United Church in Coquitlam as part of a redevelopment plan for the church. The other units will be built by United churches in Nanaimo, Richmond and Vancouver in partnership with developers.

"Working families and individuals need affordable, quality, purpose-built rental housing, and our partnership with the HousingHub will help us to leverage select church properties to do just that," said Harrison.

HousingHub to facilitate partnerships

The partnership with the United Church is one of the first projects for the province's new HousingHub a division of B.C. Housing which is aimed at providing more affordable housing in B.C.

The new division "will take an active role infinding partners to build new, affordable market-rental housing and owner-purchased housing, giving renters and prospective new homeowners the benefits of long-term stable and affordable housing," said a statement released by the government.

"The hub will work with private land owners, developers, non-profits, faith-based groups, Indigenous organizations, and federal and local governments, to locate, use or re-purpose land in communities where affordability is an issue," said the statement.