People experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Courtenay will soon have access to new indoor spaces.

Construction is underway on a development at 925 and 933 Braidwood Road.

The new homes and shelter spaces will be in two separate buildings - a four-storey building that will provide long-term supportive housing for residents, and a two-storey shelter where people can come indoors to sleep, eat, shower and connect with community services.

The supportive housing building at 925 Braidwood Rd. will have 70 self-contained, furnished studio units, each with a private bathroom and a kitchenette with a full-sized refrigerator.

There will also be a dining room, shared amenity room and office space in the building.

Rent will be geared to income and aligned with the provincial shelter allowance with residents paying as much as $500 a month.

Lookout Housing and Health Society will operate the supportive housing.

Society staff will be on site to support residents with daily meals, access to life skills and employment training, health support and connections to community services.

The shelter will provide 73 shelter beds with space to add as many as 30 more mats in an amenity space during inclement weather.

A flexible multi-purpose area will be used for meetings and programs.

Connective will operate the shelter and have at least three staff on site 24/7.

Since 2017, the Province says it has more than 99,000 homes delivered or underway in communities throughout B.C., including nearly 1,000 in the Comox Valley Regional District.

For more information, visit BC Housing.