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Kamloops  

New residential and commercial development announced for Kamloops North Shore

Kamloops Immigrant Services (KIS) at 448 Tranquille Rd. will look a whole lot different in a few years.

That's because the current one-storey building will be transformed into a mixed-use development, featuring 30 residential units and plenty of commercial space.

KIS, which provides counselling, English classes and employment readiness programs to newcomers, has owned the Tranquille unit since 2012; before that, the non-profit was renting at First Avenue and Victoria Street. Last year, KIS served 580 new clients and had more than 12,000 visits (that includes repetitive visits by a single family or person.) 

KIS is expanding its North Shore footprint thanks to a partnership with Habitat for Humanity Kamloops. 

The KIS board of directors has been wanting to add a housing component to its services for more than 20 years, according to executive director France Lamontagne. 

Safe, affordable housing is key in the resettlement process, she says, especially if a newcomer is starting a new job or is enrolled in training. 

"We know there's a lack of those types of (housing) units in B.C., in Canada in general, and certainly Kamloops is no different," says Lamontagne. "Having us, a settlement agency nearby, to provide the settlement and integration services, is just a win-win. It will be fantastic."

She adds the model is a first for the Tournament Capital. 

The 30 residential units will be subsidized and will be either managed by KIS or a property management company. They'll range from one-bedrooms to three-plus bedrooms, to support all kinds of newcomers.

immigrant-services-kamloopsThe Tranquille corridor is getting 30 new housing units for newcomers. (via Eric Thompson)

"We have... the single parent with the child who has abandoned a relationship and is in need of proper housing, near the schools and near the services. We will have the couple who arrived with two children, so they need the two-bedroom setup. And we do have some immigrant families that also have many children and an ideal situation for them will be a three-bedroom. We'll definitely need and want to accommodate larger families."

The idea is to build residential units in an entirely new building. Lamontagne envisions having a garden and a playground on the rooftop of the current building, and adding more services on the main floor, including a daycare. 

Bill Miller, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Kamloops, says his organization will handle the capital side of things.

"We will be the catalyst and the developer. We will bring the expertise to the partnership. ... We will draw on the resources that we have, as an affiliate of Habitat (for Humanity) Canada," he tells KamloopsMatters. "Our resources will include federal and provincial funding sources, private sector funding sources, sponsors and donors, and we will put together a capitalization plan for the project."

Miller couldn't give a price tag for the development, noting it's too early in the planning stages. A completion date, meanwhile, is somewhere between 20 and 24 months from now. That is, if all the permits and approvals go through. 

Asked if KIS will be displaced during construction, Miller says that won't happen.

"It is our intent to work in conjunction with them. There will be some inconveniences, depending on what we come up with in the final design, but we’re not going to displace them."

Habitat is transitioning away from its traditional model of "one house at a time," Miller says, to larger, multi-use projects.

"(That) model is no longer financially feasible. With land costs being what they are and the length of time it takes to build a house with volunteers, we're looking at anywhere from 12, 16, 18 months to get a house built," he says.  

And the need for more housing is only increasing, he says.

"We've been asked to build over 400 units (in our service area). ... We can't do that one (house) at a time.

"We need higher density, we're going vertical as opposed to horizontal, we're getting more units on the land, we're serving more families, and that's one of our outcome objectives."

Lamontagne calls the partnership "perfect."

"They (Habitat) were the best fit for us. They share the same values as we do. They want to provide good housing for people in need. The team at Habitat, I appreciate them very much," she says.



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