DENMAN GREEN UPDATE – March 2024
On March 11 Denman Housing Association received a ‘Notice of Regret’ from BC Housing that our application to their Community Housing Fund had not been selected to proceed.
Disappointing as this is, it was not altogether unexpected. As we advised in previous Denman Green updates, the competition for funding affordable housing projects has always been fierce, and this cycle was no exception. Furthermore, BC Housing had explicitly stated in their Request for Proposal that first consideration would be given to urban sites, Vancouver, Victoria, Abbotsford, Surrey etc. It would also be understandable that their next priority might have been those projects that were unsuccessful in the last funding call, numbering several thousand units we believe.
Which brings us to our next steps. We have been offered and have accepted a ‘debrief’ from BC Housing, at which we may learn more specifically why we were not selected for funding. We believe we submitted a very solid application. Our complete design and Class ‘B’ budget made us ‘shovel ready’, our team exhibits great competence in a wide range of experience and skills, but no doubt there are ‘tweaks’ that can further improve our application package for the next funding call, which is expected later this year.
We will keep our Denman community updated of course.
In the meantime, we move forward. Denman Green must and will be built.
We thank everyone for your ongoing support.
