Carrier Sekani Family Services broke ground Friday, July 11 on a new construction project aimed at providing low-barrier housing to Indigenous youth in Prince George.
The new complex, located at 611 Brunswick St., will provide 45 units of affordable, low-barrier housing that will meet the needs of Indigenous community members facing a lack of access to stable housing.
This complex will also feature a unit for elders to provide live-in support for the younger residents, as well the complex will feature retail and commercial space for the residents.
Carrier Sekani has partnered with Yellowridge Construction to complete this project and is scheduled to finish in the winter of 2026. The construction is estimated to begin this week
The construction cost of the project is estimated at $26,154,414, with $5 million in funding provided by Indigenous Services Canada and BC Housing providing the remainder.
“It's a very historic moment for Carrier Sekani and for myself,” said Jason Morgan, executive director of housing capital and infrastructure at Carrier Sekani. "Having an opportunity to look at housing as a fundamental right for the families that are going to be occupying, for me, that's going to be the biggest reward for Carrier Sekani and supporting the children that are aging out of administrative care and looking at having elders and as well as some young families, in our complex.”
Morgan noted that this facility is aimed at addressing gaps in Prince George when it comes to access and affordability of housing that many Indigenous youth face in this city.
“One of the greatest barriers is access,” said Morgan. “As well, the rental rates … Poverty is probably one of the biggest barriers that we see. We're trying to look at affordable housing, that's really the partnership and collaboration with BC Housing and working with Indigenous Services Canada for post-majority housing supports. We're very fortunate that this is going to be a very low-barrier housing support.”
Mary Teegee, the chief administration officer for child and family services at Carrier Sekani, was a keynote speaker at the groundbreaking ceremony and emphasized the importance of this new facility to struggling youth in the city.
“One of the young people, we talked to them and they said, I can't even sleep. I can't even dream," she said. "When we talked about that place, it's that we take as human beings, even the simple fact of dreaming, having a bed to dream in. We take for granted that we have a warm place to go to stay, to sleep …. This young person really brought it to mind. And so we have a place that we have and we call it our place to dream because now they have a place to sleep and now they have a safe place to come to.
Rod Hill, director of Indigenous relations at BC Housing, shared his thoughts on how this new complex can change the future for Indigenous youth.
“This is a place to come home to. It's a place to rest," he said. "It's a place to have opportunities and to think about the future and to raise up future leaders."
