Olympic athlete accommodation to become social housing

Olympic athlete accommodation to become social housing Derrick Penner, Vancouver SunPublished: Wednesday, October 22, 2008

The province and Vancouver Olympic organizers will turn 320 units of temporary accommodations at the Whistler Olympic village into 156 units of permanent social housing in six communities after the Games, Premier Gordon Campbell announced Tuesday.

Campbell said the project evolved over two years as Olympic organizers considered ways to pass on a legacy from a temporary structure that was needed during the Games but would be surplus after.

"One of the things we've said is that we want people across the province to know that this is their Olympics," Campbell said.

 

"This legacy is for people outside of the immediate vicinity of where the Olympics are taking place."

Vancouver Organizing Committee (Vanoc) CEO John Furlong said the committee worried it would wind up simply disposing of the temporary housing units, but managed to forge partnerships that led to repurposing it as social housing.

After the Games, the province, through BC Housing, will spend $20 million converting and transporting the units to Surrey, Chilliwack, Sechelt, Chetwynd, Enderby, and Saanich. The communities will contribute $5.4 million in land for the project.

Olympic sponsor Rona will donate to help furnish and decorate the units for new residents.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman said the province will be able to support the new units through existing rent-support programs.

depenner@vancouversun.com