New supportive housing facility in Lower Post, B.C., opening soon

A new supportive housing facility in Lower Post, B.C., is just two months away from welcoming its first tenants.

The facility is owned and will be operated by the Lower Post Housing Society.

Named "Sa-Koh", which means "my home" in the Kaska language, the 16-unit facility is designed to support women and men who are experiencing violence and/or homelessness, and to provide them with a hand up.

Catherine Porter is a councillor with the Daylu Dena Council and the Sa-Koh project lead.

"There's always a need," Porter explained to CBC News. "We're in a housing crisis and that's for all First Nation communities, so this is a big one for us."

Porter said this housing project began two years ago in collaboration with B.C. Housing and the Daylu Dena Council.

She said the community was a part of the process the entire time, weighing in on the scope of design and tailoring the supportive programs to fit the needs of the community.

"The programs include alcohol and substance abuse," she explained. "Educational needs, cultural support, mental health support, and of course developing those life skills such as financial planning and budgeting."

Porter said even the structural design of the building was carefully planned out.

"It kind of looks like an L," she said."One side is for the women and one side is the supportive housing. It was decided because it kind of mirrors the river and it connects both programs together."

The finished building comes with a total cost of $16 million.

Porter said thanks to funding from the B.C. government, residents can be offered a unit for a very reasonable price.

"A one-bedroom is $375," she told CBC News. "A two-bedroom is $475, and a three-bedroom is $575." 

Porter said power, television, heating and two meals a day — one hot and one cold — are included in the rent.

She said anyone can apply for a unit.

"This is the fantastic thing about it," she said. "It's open to everyone, not just community members, or Liard First Nation. It's open to anyone who needs support."

Porter explained the reasoning behind that decision.

"We all have the same challenges and we want to support our surrounding communities," she began.

"We're all in this together. We all rely on each other and that's one way Daylu and Lower Post can help. Having this facility in our community that can support, say, Dease Lake, Good Hope, Fort Nelson, even Atlin. That's what we need."

Porter said 60 per cent of the units have already been applied for. She added there's more to this project than just tackling the housing shortage in her area.

"This is a great achievement for the North," she said. "It's a project that helps build a strong community with a sense of purpose and belonging, but I would say most importantly it's about reclaiming our culture and our identity. Our Kaska people, we look after each other and I really believe that that's the foundation of us all."

She said she hopes to see tenants moved in and spending their Christmas in their new home.

'Creating milestones'

Daylu Dena Council Deputy Chief Harlan Schilling said this project has been a catalyst for change in his community.

"So much is coming and changing in Lower Post," he explained. "A lot of it started with this project. It's going to create a safe place for a lot of women and children — not just to our community and not just to the First Nation, but a safe place for everybody."

Schilling said he is grateful for the partnership with the B.C. government and said it couldn't have worked this way without them. He also gave a shout-out to the members of his community that invested their own time to make this idea a reality.

"Catherine Porter, Debbie Groat, Bernice Ball, Helen Loots. Those women have created milestones for our community and now they have not only a women's group and a house now for them to do activities, but that 16-plex is a true meaning of change."