With funding in place and a construction site prepared, crews are expected to assemble later this year to build the second phase of an affordable housing complex for seniors near NRGH. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

new rental homes

New funding advances additional Nanaimo affordable seniors housing complex

Mar 22, 2024 | 11:14 AM

NANAIMO — Fresh off the grand opening of a 62-bed facility near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, funding has been secured to build its twin.

Provincial government funding was awarded through the Community Housing Fund to the Woodgrove Senior Citizens Housing Society for phase two construction of Sunfield Manor, at 1125 Seafield Cres.

Construction for a 62-room affordable seniors housing complex will begin by the end of the year, and be nearly identical to a five-storey building which welcomed residents last August.

“The great thing about phase two is we’re in an opportunity to actually get this building up much quicker than we did in phase one, so much of that work was done in that preliminary phase,” Matthew Stephens, vice president of the Society, told NanaimoNewsNOW.

A building permit application for the project situated in a centrally located, amenity-packed area was submitted late last year to the City of Nanaimo and awaits approval.

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Stephens said the second phase will share many characteristics with the already-open building.

The look will be nearly the same, however the second phase will include some underground parking.

“A number of those units will be identified for people with limited mobility, so they’ll be made to be accessible. The site is more or less ready to go, we put a lot of landscaping and additional parking into the site with phase one, we essentially have a blank canvas ready for us to drop a building on site.”

Like phase one, half of the units will be locked at 30 per cent of the tenant’s monthly income.

A further 20 per cent will be reserved for individuals on income assistance, while the remainder will be offered at below market rates.

Stephens added those are designed for people still working and who may have a higher income than those on assistance.

Opened in August 2023, a 62-bed affordable seniors housing facility welcomed residents of the old Sunfield Manor. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

All 62-beds are net-new for Nanaimo.

Phase one saw 30 of the 62 rooms reserved for existing tenants of the former Sunfield Manor site.

Being able to add affordable inventory to the local seniors housing market is something Stephens believes will help a great deal.

He added Society staff are inundated by people in need of a safe place to call home.

“There is certainly a massive demand, and with that population of seniors and persons with disabilities.”

A majority of units will be filled through the BC Housing registry, with application information available here. A number of units will also be reserved for clients of the Nanaimo Association for Community Living to house some of their clients.

The below-market rentals will follow a more typical, direct application process.

Thursday’s announcement was part of a wider, Island-wide initiative by the province which will see nearly 870 units constructed.

A majority of the eight projects are in the greater Victoria region, however funding was confirmed to build 40 news homes in Port Alberni for families and seniors.

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