Evergreen Acres will soon have a new amenities building, thanks to a $300,000 grant.
A cheque for the funds awarded by the Wells Gray Community Forest Commission, to the Evergreen Acres Senior Housing Society (EASHS) Wednesday March 3 to build the facility along with the Phase 5 project of 20 additional senior-friendly, low- and moderate-income units.
The new building be 3,000 sq. ft., and will be stocked with a full kitchen, as well as dividers to hold multiple events for seniors. There also will be a garden area created adjacent to the path behind the hospital.
The grant comes soon after Evergreen Acres completed their Phase 4 project of 20 units, and helped the EASHS to leverage funds to receive financing through the BC Housing’s Building BC: Community Housing Fund.
READ MORE: Sod turned for Evergreen Acres expansion project in Clearwater
READ MORE: Evergreen Acres receives government funding for Phase 5
Linda Selbee, EASHS project chair, said they hope to have shovels in the ground this spring.
“We’re very excited,” she said.”We’re at 50 (units) with the ones we just completed, and now we’ll be at 70 suites, so for Clearwater, it’s pretty cool.”
There is already a waiting list for the new suites, and as folks move into the new suites, it will open up homes throughout the area into the market. The new units will include one handicap suite, two will be two bedroom and the rest single bedroom suites. All of them are senior-friendly as they are level-entry, requiring no steps to enter the unit.
As part of the BC Housing funds, the EASHS needs to provide suites for a range of incomes, including low- and moderate-income, and the rent starts as low as $375 and is calculated based on the renter’s income.
The Phase 5 suites and amenity building are a welcome project, especially as the senior population in Clearwater is anticipated to rise in the coming years.
A new gazebo also will be going into the complex, funded by money raised from the Clearwater Rotary’s annual Fun Golf Tournament.
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
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