A homeless shelter approved by Cranbrook council almost four years ago is still not open, but renovations have finally started.
The zoning change for a shelter on a parcel of land on 16th Avenue North was approved on Feb. 1, 2021, and has since been delayed multiple times.
Nearly two years later on Jan. 19, 2023, BC Housing bought the shelter land after they had concerns about spending around $600,000 for renovations in a leased building.
In an update to council in November of 2023, BC Housing representatives said the shelter was expected to be operational by the end of the summer of 2024, but in an update in the spring, that timeline changed to the end of 2024.
Now in December 2024, the homeless shelter is still not open, but BC Housing has given a new update to the Cranbrook council.
“I know this has been in the works for quite a long time,” said Tyler Baker with BC Housing.
“We continue to make progress and we’ve been working with the city’s building and planning departments on finalizing permits.”
He says construction has been underway and they have a new timeline for opening.
“Construction is continuing. and real progress is being made there,” he said.
“We expect in late spring for the renovations to be completed and then occupancy in late spring or early summer.”
Once operational, the permanent shelter is expected to have 40 beds.
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