Vernon, B.C. housing project for medical residents aims to address doctor shortage

Like many parts of B.C., the North Okanagan deals with a shortage of both family doctors and housing.

Now a new housing project specifically for medical residents is aiming to help tackle both issues at once.

Next summer, the first doctors-in-training taking part in UBC Faculty of Medicine’s new North Okanagan family medicine residency program will get to the region.

However, since the area has an extremely low rental vacancy rate, there were questions about where these family doctors trainees would live during their three-year residencies.

The Canada Mortage and Housing Corporation measures vacancy in Vernon each fall and for the last two years has determined the private apartment vacancy rate is just 0.7 per cent.

So a local non-profit called Community Futures North Okanagan and a development company are providing a solution by building two new rental homes on Vernon’s 25 Street that will house up to six medical residents at a time.

“We recognize to attract skilled workers we need workforce housing, so this seemed like the perfect fit,” said Leigha Horsfield, executive director of Community Futures North Okanagan.

Community Futures believes that providing housing for some of the trainees will make them more likely to stay and practice as family physicians in the North Okanagan which would help address the doctor shortage.

“We are trying to attract and retain other skilled workers. Having prompt access to medical care is a feature that will assist in attracting additional skilled workers to our community,” Horsfield said.

Community Futures said the project wouldn’t have been possible without a local development company, AIM Development, selling the land to the non-profit and managing the construction at a lower-than-normal price.

“We were introduced to Community Futures through the City of Vernon…and we found that they are a really good fit with what we’ve been trying to do for a number of years now, which is bring attainable housing to the community of Vernon so by doing,” said Ian Murphy, owner of AIM Development.

“What they are doing in encouraging doctors to come here, it’s only going to grow the community more.”

Construction is expected to begin soon so the homes can be in place for when the first trainees get to the North Okanagan in July 2024.

The family medicine residency program is expected to accept four trainees each year for a three-year program.

The housing complex will only be able to house half of the 12 medical residents expected once the family medicine residency program is fully operational.

The project is primarily funded by Community Futures North Okanagan.