Plans for a major housing project for seniors in Merritt were unveiled today.

Housing Minister Selina Robinson was in town to announce a 40-unit complex for seniors to be built in the city centre on Quilchena Avenue.

The senior population in Merritt is about 30 per cent, and Robinson says a project like this is much-needed in the community.

“So they were either staying too long in housing that was not appropriate for them or they were forced to move somewhere else,” she said. ” They had to leave their community to find the kind of affordable housing that they needed. Which is hard to find even in Kamloops affordable housing is a challenge. It is not like there is tonnes of housing there too.”

The province will contribute $4 million to the ASK Wellness Society to build the project, and construction is likely to begin in early 2020. It is in the design phase and will need a development permit from Merritt city council before going ahead.

Executive Director Bob Hughes says the need for affordable housing in Merritt has been clear for more than a decade. He says before the 30-unit Juniper House project opened in 2017, where today’s announcement was made, the last affordable housing project to be built in Merritt was in 1999.

Exec director of @ASK_Wellness Bob Hughes says the need has been clear for more than a decade that affordable housing is needed in #Merritt. He says before the 30-unit Juniper House project (where we are), it had been more than 2 decades since an affordable project was built here pic.twitter.com/hZsVj86Boi

— Colton Davies (@ColtonDavies_) March 22, 2019