A rendering of Katherine's Place. (Photo via A Way Home Kamloops)

A long-awaited, 39-unit, supportive housing facility in North Kamloops is set to open its doors to homeless youth and young adults later this year.

Named ‘Katherine’s Place’ after A Way Home Kamloops’ late founder Katherine McParland, construction on the 500-block of Tranquille Road, is expected to wrap up in October.

“When you drive down Tranquille, we are that one that is just being framed up. I think they are putting the floor onto the fourth floor right now and it is just so exciting to see it taking shape,” A Way Home Kamloops Executive Director, Tangie Genshorek, said.

Genshorek told Radio NL if everything goes according to plan, the facility is set to open in November, a full year behind schedule.

“The construction started probably before people noticed because there was so much site work to do; there was a lot of site prep going on for quite a while,” she said.

“It was a complicated, small site with a lot of things going on so it took a long time for the building to look like anything was happening.”

Genshorek also says A Way Home Kamloops has already identified a few people who will move into the facility when it eventually opens.

“Our pilot project for Katherine’s Place is Safe Suites and we have been running with BC Housing for several years now; we have six youths are living there and since that project will end, those six youths will definitely be the first people to move into Katherines Place as we transition into this new project format,” said Genshorek.

“The rest will be decided from our waitlist.”

Once opened, Genshorek says staff will be on-site 24/7, providing wrap-around support and programs for residents.

“Each youth will design a wellness plan with their youth worker and create goals that they want to achieve for themselves around their life skills, their education, and employment, and then we will be connecting them with all of the community resources that they need to, to follow through on those goals.”

She says the program is roughly two years, noting once that time is up there are other programs the folks at Katherine’s Place could move on to.

“Ideally, they would be ready to move into market housing on their own after they leave Katherines Place as well.”

Initially, the supportive housing complex was expected to wrap up in late 2023, with Genshorek citing that the delays were due to contracts and paperwork.