Province kicks in $4.7M for Brocklehurst Indigenous housing project

The funding annoucement is more money — $1.5 million more — than expected by executive director Colleen Lucier.

“It’s just going to allow us to bring it to fruition. It just takes away a lot of the worries that we had and our efforts to secure funding from other sources,” said Lucier. “So this allows us to move forward in a good way.”

Lucier noted the boost in funding will mean the project can move ahead a lot quicker with the ground breaking in the next couple months.

“It definitely contributes to promoting movement in the project,” she said. “We’re also very pleased with the outcome of the public hearing. That was another significant step we needed to achieve.”

Katrina Powell, now a 32-year-old mother of four, wishes she had this kind of housing complex as a young person before aging out of the system. Since, though, she’s been significantly helped by lmo over the last few years to get her life back on track after challenges with addiction.

She knows how much this housing will help to keep Aboriginal youth on the right path in life.

“It does create a family atmosphere with the elders and the youth. They can work very closely together, so these elders are going to be teacher these youth, not only general things like budgeting and housekeeping, they’re going to be teaching them their values as Metis,” said Powell. “I think that’s really going to help.”

Minister Robinson touted this project as ‘innovative’ in B.C. and Kamloops and said on Wednesday the province is more than willing to build more of these types of Aboriginal units with the right proposals and partnerships.

“When it’s successful and people can see how well it works that others, I imagine, will be interested to see how it works and can come up with opportunities that work for them in their communities,” she noted. “When those opportunities present themselves, we’re certainly very interested in hearing how they can find a way to collaborate.”

The housing units are expected to be complete next spring.

by James Peters

Province kicks in $4.7M for Brocklehurst Indigenous housing project

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