In 2018, Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Centre took over managing an affordable housing project in Oliver. The local Canadian Mental Health Association branch is thinking of doing the same in Osoyoos. (File photo)

Vanessa Broadbent

Osoyoos Times

Osoyoos should be the location for a new affordable housing project, according to the local Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) branch.

Executive director Leah Schulting and development consultant James Weldon of the CMHA’s South Okanagan Similkameen office based in Penticton presented to Osoyoos town council last week on the need for social housing in the area.

According to 2016 census data, renters in Osoyoos have a household income that’s 26 per cent less than homeowners’, Schulting said.

Forty per cent of Osoyoos renters – and 67 per cent of single mothers – spend more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.

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This results in families choosing between providing adequate food or putting kids in sports, Schulting said.

“You’re having to make decisions and you’re living below the poverty line.”

The census data also shows Osoyoos renters living in over-crowded conditions.

While some families may need a two- or three-bedroom unit, they can only afford one bedroom, Schulting said.

Through BC Housing, the province has committed to building 14,350 affordable housing rental units and Schulting is hoping to get a chunk of those in Osoyoos.

Funding has already been granted to projects in Keremeos and Summerland, and in 2018 Desert Sun Counselling and Resource Centre took over managing an 18-unit rental property in Oliver.

The next round of funding will be provided in 2020, she predicted, and a request for proposals will likely be issued then.

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As a non-profit organization, the CMHA could submit a proposal and then operate and manage the property, with funding from BC Housing either in the form of a grant or forgivable mortgage.

“In order to attract workers and keep them here, we definitely need affordable housing,” Schulting said.

Now the CMHA is hoping to be ready to go when proposals are accepted, and is starting to scope out potential sites for affordable housing units.

The Town of Osoyoos could help by supporting a proposal, and even leasing land for housing, Weldon said.

“The more proposal-ready you are for when an RFP comes out, the more chance you have of getting funding.”

Mayor Sue McKortoff pointed out that the Town is currently reviewing its Official Community Plan, which addresses affordable housing.

“We do have it on our radar and we certainly understand the need to support, it’s just how we support,” she said.