East Van church nearing its financial goal to build social housing
Posted December 11, 2015 10:28 pm.
Last Updated December 11, 2015 10:58 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – An East Vancouver church is now only months away from turning sod on an ambitious housing project.
Grandview Calvary Baptist Church at First and Victoria Drive still needs one and a half million dollars in donations to fulfill the dream.
The project is the culmination of 14 years of planning, and $10 million worth of fundraising.
The 26-unit complex will house a combination of homeless people, couples and families.
Pastor Tim Dickau says it’s a project worth investing in for two reasons.
“One, we are bringing people together across socio-economic boundaries. In a city where social isolation is such a big issue, we’re bringing people together to live together.”
Secondly, Dickau says if his church can do it, so can others.
“We are trying to spark the imagination of other faith communities, so that they are inspired to use their land assets to develop social housing. We all have an opportunity housing crisis in our city.”
Donors, he stresses, will get tax receipts. He says if the money is all there, construction will start this spring.