The long-awaited Harmony project has officially broken ground, bringing low-income families and individuals with disabilities closer to stepping foot inside the affordable rental units.
The 91-unit housing project consisting of six storeys in the 15100-block of 20 Avenue in South Surrey has broken ground, marking the beginning of the construction phase for the hard-battled initiative. Planned by UNITI, a non-profit group that advocates for those with different abilities, the housing project is set to open in the latter half of 2026.
"There were times over the past few years where I would be saying 'Harmony will be built,' but you know, in my gut, I wasn't convinced," UNITI CEO Doug Tennant said at the groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday (June 18) morning.
"It was at those times that people in the community stepped up and gave their support and gave me hope so that I could give hope to the many people who dream of living in Harmony."
Harmony will offer 18 studio apartments, 42 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom and seven three-bedroom homes. A special feature of the building will be its offering of below-market rental units, beginning at $500 per month.
Funded through BC Housing, half of the units will be for households with a total maximum income of $86,000, 20 per cent rented at "shelter rates" for households with very low incomes and 30 per cent rented at low-end market rates.
"People want to be here, but for too long people have been priced out of cities like Surrey," said Surrey-Panorama MLA Jinny Sims.
"We want families that live here to think less about how they're going to make rent and more about enjoying life in this exciting city."
Special recognition was given to Lauren Simpson, a self-advocate with UNITI who spear-headed the campaign to get Harmony built in Surrey.
"Harmony would not be happening without her," Tennant said.
Simpson lead Surrey's housing needs report, gathered testimonies from residents who face housing troubles due to their disabilities and shared her own experience in the documentary titled Lauren's Story.
"You think it would be easy to get here. Denials, discouragement, additional costs, delays. We needed iron will, just incredible persistence and unwielding faith that we were doing something right and we were doing something good for the community we serve," said UNITI board chair Bea Hadikin.
"We appreciated the direct support eventually of all local politicians and community activists," Hadikin added, seemingly referencing the rejection of Harmony by former mayor Doug McCallum's Safe Surrey coalition in 2021, but later brought back to the table in the run-up to the October 2022 municipal election.
South Surrey's previous housing project, Chorus, is similar to what the hopes for Harmony are, with a mixed group of seniors, families on limited incomes and those with developmental disabilities.
"With those rents starting as low as $500 a month, this project will provide deeply affordable housing to our residents who need it the most," Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said.