KITIMAT, B.C. – A new development opening in Kitimat, B.C. will provide 44 homes for women and children leaving violence and parents and guardians who need access to child care.
The four-storey building includes a 12-bed transition house, 12 units of second-stage housing and 20 units of permanent affordable housing in Kitimat and the surrounding area and will also feature a 24-hour child care facility onsite.
“Transition homes are a vital first step so vulnerable women and children can rebuild their lives, surrounded by the supports and services they need, in Kitimat. Creating spaces like these are part of our government’s responsibility to help our most vulnerable, while addressing the urgent need for affordable child care that makes life easier for parents and guardians. This is the latest example of our commitment to increase housing access for those in need,” B.C. Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon said in a statement.
“Whether for those in a vulnerable situation needing a place to live or those who need child care options so that they can get into the workforce, this facility makes a difference for people in Kitimat. This development is a testament to what can be achieved, thanks to hard work and collaboration,” District of Kitimat Mayor Phil Germuth added.
The homes are a result of a partnership between the province, through BC Housing, the District of Kitimat and the Tamitik Status of Women Association, which will operate the development, a release said.
The province, through BC Housing, provided approximately $17 million for the project through the Building BC: Women’s Transition Housing Fund, and will provide annual operating funding of approximately $979,000.
The District of Kitimat received more than $3 million through the province’s ChildCareBC New Spaces Fund and provided $471,000 toward the project. It will lease the land to the non-profit operator at a nominal rate.
B.C. partnered with the District of Kitimat to create the new child care centre, which offers 60 new spaces, including 12 for children under three years, 16 for school-age children and 32 multi-age spaces. The District of Kitimat will work with Haisla Nation to ensure Indigenous culture, language and protocols are consistently incorporated, promoted and celebrated within the facility and the early learning programs, the release said.
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