Sohkeyah Phase I
Affordable Homes for Indigenous Peoples
Surrey is home to the largest number of urban Indigenous people per capita in the province - a community population in desperate need of affordable housing. Lu’ma Development Management (LDM) worked with Kekinow Native Housing Society to redevelop an existing 33-unit townhouse complex that was aging and deteriorating.
Sohkeyah (translated as Robin’s Nest) includes three buildings with 177 units, thereby substantially increasing the number of units that the Society can provide. The new buildings feature new, modern affordable units in a range of household sizes and configurations to better serve the diverse community.
Sohkeyah Phase I features a mix of studio, 1, 2 and 3-bedroom homes. The 74-unit development also includes amenity rooms, shared kitchens and lounge areas. The outdoor space features play areas and pathways that encircle the site to encourage interactions between Elders and children.
LOCATION: On the shared, unceded traditional territory of the Katzie, Semiahmoo, Kwantlen and other Indigenous Peoples, also known as Surrey, BC
STATUS: Phase 1 - Completed and occupied in 2019
CLIENT: Kekinow Native Housing Society
FUNDERS: BC Housing’s Building BC: Community Housing Fund, Metro Vancouver, Government of Canada’s Homelessness Partnering Strategy and Surrey Homelessness and Housing Society
OPERATOR: Kekinow Native Housing Society