Surrey City Council has approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Province of B.C. and the City to expedite the approval of up to 106 new supportive housing units on two city-owned sites. In announcing the agreement on April 14, 2008, the Province also announced the purchase of two existing buildings in Surrey, to provide an additional 66 units of supportive housing.

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Province Fast-Tracks New Housing For Surrey Homeless - April 14, 2008

Surrey Memorandum of Understanding

The Province and the City of Surrey have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expedite the municipal approval process for up to 106 new supportive housing units on two city-owned sites.

The Province will pay all pre-development costs to design the two developments through to the issuance of development and building permits. The City has agreed to provide these sites and to ensure the approval process is expedited in a timely fashion. A proposal call seeking applications from non-profit societies to manage and operate the housing component will be undertaken shortly by the Province.

The City of Surrey will lease the two sites to the successful proponents for a period of 60 years. The non-profit operators will be charged a nominal fee for rent, and each development will exempt from property taxes as long as they provide housing and support services for people who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness.

The provincial contribution to pay for the pre-development costs is part of a $41 million commitment to help break the cycle of homelessness that was announced on October 12, 2007. It built on the provincial housing strategy, Housing Matters BC , which was announced in October 2006.

More details can be found in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

For more information