BC Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson was in Kelowna today with news about 250 new affordable rental homes in the area. People have already moved into one of them, and construction is beginning on two more. 

Robinson held a news conference in front of a project on Cawston Avenue in Kelowna which will provide 40 homes to low to middle-income families and individuals. "These new homes will mean that people, from young families to seniors, can stay in their community, close to their friends and family."

The Cawston Avenue project will be operated by the NOW Canada Society with monthly rents ranging from $375 for a subsidized studio apartment to as much as $1,850 for some three-bedroom units. 

But it doesn't come without a hefty price tag for taxpayers. The Province is paid $8.8 million in grants for the project while the federal government is paying another $3.9 million. 

Robinson also spoke about two other projects, one on Celano Crescent in Kelowna which involved a $4.7 million provincial grant. A third project, Carrington View, in West Kelowna adds to the rental supply with another 186 homes for people with middle incomes. In this case, the province didn't provide grant money but did provide $39 million in construction financing to see the project through. 

The Kelowna area projects are part of a province-wide initiative that has seen 22,000 new homes completed or under construction, including 1,200 in the Kelowna area.