The Tiny Homes Project on 4th Avenue could finally open later this week, a year late and far over budget.
The city teamed up with the Port Alberni Friendship Centre to build the complex, designed to house people currently using the illegal trailers on 4th Avenue, then opening to other homeless people.
Friendship Centre executive director Cyndi Stevens says they had hoped to open 30 tiny homes, but construction delays and increased material costs meant only 20 could be built for now.
“We have 20 units ready to go now. We have permission to have up to 30 units on the property,” she said. “The unfortunate things is that the cost of the units because of all the things that had to be done based on what the city and architect wanted, more than doubled the costs of each unit, and the development costs probably tripled. We’re not sure at this moment how many more units we can build with the leftover capital funding that we might have.
Stevens said the complex will have a no drugs or violence policy and will have support and security staff on site 24/7.
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