Plans have been revealed for a major expansion to a supportive housing program currently being run out of a former motel in north Kamloops.

The Canadian Mental Health Association has confirmed to Radio NL that it’s filed a development permit application with the City of Kamloops to add a new building at the former Fortune Motel location on Fortune Drive at Vernon Avenue, not far from the Northhills Mall.

If approved, it would more than double the number of rooms currently available on the site for those working their way through their various challenges — expanding the number of rooms at the site from the current 28 to as many as 75.

“We’ve been working as a group with BC Housing, and City staff, and other partners to create ‘Genesis 2.0’… is what we’re calling it early on,” confirmed Alfred Achoba, Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Kamloops office.  “Around 47 units of supportive housing.”

Achoba says their plan is to create the new building on the west side of the lot, overlooking Fortune Drive.

“We had to knock down one of the buildings at that location, so it will literally be going right at the same spot,” noted Achoba.

The previous western wing of the one-time Fortune Motel had to be torn down in 2023 due to unrecoverable water damage, which began showing itself after BC Housing purchased the site in the summer of 2021 for around $3.5 million dollars.

While the scope and scale of “Genesis 2.0” has not been revealed, it would have to be a multi-story unit to accomodate 47 units.

The previous split-level wing was only able to accommodate 12 rooms.

“We would have a kitchen, laundry… different unit types, including accessible units,” noted Achoba in conversation with Radio NL.  “We would have ‘flex spaces’ that we could use for meetings.”

While located just steps from Genesis Place, Achoba has confirmed that ‘Genesis 2.0’ is going to be run as an independent project as far as BC Housing is concerned, suggesting a separate funding stream to hire staff specifically for ‘2.0.’

“The goal is to make sure that this program is fully staffed,” said Achoba.  ” Given that it has that Indigenous piece built into it, we want to make sure that the clients who are there are getting the best of what we can provide to our community.”

Three-in-five to be Indigenous

As part of the agreement with BC Housing to establish ‘Genesis 2.0,’ Achoba says their client intake requirements have been set at a minimum of 60% Indigenous.

He says they’re basing a lot of their program planning around that.

“That involves having cultural support.  That involves having an Elder site, which we’ve done.  That involves working proactively with other partners.  We have the [Aboriginal] Friendship Society. We have outage staff that come there.  That is our commitment for this program,” noted Achoba.

“We’re working with partners like ASK Wellness.  They come now to some of our sites with the [mobile medical] TELUS Bus.  There is that through collaboration happening to make sure the program is successful,” added Achoba.

Genesis Place was established with a 40% Indigenous intake requirement, but staff noted the number jumped above 60% shortly after it opened.

While the expansion plans are being funded exclusively through BC Housing at this point, Achoba says they wouldn’t be opposed to looking at other sources of funding to augment different programs, such as through the provincial First Nations Health Authority or the federal government.

“We do have other opportunities to tap into other streams of funding where’s its appropriate,” noted Achoba.  “Being financially diverse would help.”

“It brings different synergies to the type of programs that we would offer, so we’re exploring all of that,” he added.

Open for input as project advances quickly

“My best guess would say.. by the summer [2025] we should start breaking ground and pushing the project forward,” said Achoba.

Depending on the scope of the project, and any delays, a summer start for construction could see a late 2026 — but most likley — 2027 opening.

Despite the speed he would like the process to move at, Achoba says they won’t be ignoring the public consultation process.

“We know there is so much polarization when it comes to supportive housing,” noted Achoba, suggesting they have attempted to keep the lines of communication open since launching Genesis Place in September of 2022.

“We’ve always kept an open line with with the neighbors there.  We’ve listened to their concerns.  We’ve been very proactive.  We’ve discussed some of the future goals for that site, including this development,” added Achoba.

He also notes the process itself is just getting underway, confirming he submitted the development applications to the City just ahead of the holidays in December.

Achoba says municipal officials have been in close contact with him since then.

“I got responses right over the holidays from from the City’s building officials,” he said. “There’s been some questions back and forth.”

He says at this point, his hope is to get construction started in less than six months, potentially putting the first shovels into the ground by the summer.

Achoba does suggest there are still some bureaucratic issues that will need to be overcome.

“There’s some paperwork we need to go through as well,” conceded Achoba.  “There’s other partners that need to be brought in, like the Health Authorities, so we’re going through all of this process.”

“But I think the goal for us was to submit the DP [development permit] right away so we can moving forward with the project that can bring close to 50 units of housing in our community, which is much needed,” he argued.