OSOYOOS TIMES-May 20, 2009

By Paul Everest

Osoyoos Times

The province is still developing a “request for expressions of interest” which will be sent out to local non-profit or community-focused organizations to run the now-empty Desert Valley Care centre on Jonagold Place, even though a deal to purchase the facility closed last month.
The provincial government announced on Jan. 30 that the 10-unit care facility was one of 15 properties being purchased across B.C. for the purpose of providing support housing for the homeless or people with mental illness.
Although the province said the facility would likely be occupied by March, the deal to buy the facility from a group of local investors did not close until April 7.
The final cost of the sale was $592,500 and that pricetag included some pieces of equipment and furniture left in the facility after the last of its residents were moved to the Mariposa Gardens care facility last November.
In March, MLA Bill Barisoff told the Osoyoos Times the reason behind the delay in getting the facility up and running was due to an issue with retaining walls on the property extending onto neighbouring properties.
According to BC Housing, the deal was able to go through because the previous owners of the property had developed easement agreements for the wall with neighbours.
The previous owner of the facility was a private company made up of a group of local investors.
One of the company’s members told the Times that owners of properties neighbouring the centre had given permission for small easements on their properties for the wall which in turn allowed the sale of the centre to be finalized.
Several local community groups have been waiting to begin correspondence with the province about the administration of the facility.
In February, several organizations, including the Soroptimists International of Osoyoos, Interior Health, representatives of the Osoyoos Food Bank and Mental Health Services, met to identify groups that could benefit from using the 10 living spaces at the centre.
Seniors, women and children at risk of violence, people with disabilities and the mentally ill were some of the groups identified as in need of shelter in the area.
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