A Nelson motel purchased by the provincial government to create local subsidized housing currently has less than half its units occupied.
North Shore Inn has 30 available units, but only seven people are living there now. A spokesperson for BC Housing said it learned last fall that the building’s water and electrical services are insufficient to allow for full-time occupancy. At the time, just nine people were allowed to stay in the units.
“The decision was made to relocate all but nine residents to other housing options in the community. BC Housing and Nelson CARES worked diligently to relocate these residents to other housing they operate in Nelson and continue to support the nine people who live at the Inn.”
Renovations have not begun at the inn. BC Housing said it plans to release more information about when the work will be completed and tenanting once it has a revised plan.
BC Housing bought the North Shore Inn, located at 687 Highway 3A, in 2022. The site was previously leased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the acquisition made it a permanent program managed by Nelson CARES Society, which also provides on-site staffing, a daily meal program, and other services such as employment assistance.
Meanwhile, unhoused residents have set up a camp in front of Nelson City Hall to protest the closure of the Coordinated Access Hub, a federally funded site that housed a variety of health and social services.
North Shore Inn isn’t the only subsidized housing site in Nelson — Nelson CARES operates several sites for different demographics of residents, such as downtown’s Ward Street Place. But the inn is the only dedicated site for long-term housing of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
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