Lake Country Build/HFHO

By Jamie Tawil

Critical housing

Habitat for Humanity Okanagan officially completes Lake Country build

Jun 6, 2025 | 12:21 PM

After five years of planning, building and community effort, Habitat for Humanity Okanagan officially marked the completion Friday, of its largest and most ambitious project to date: a 12-home affordable housing development in Lake Country.

Known as Powley Court, the newly completed community is now fully occupied by 12 local families and 29 children — all of whom now have a safe, stable place to call home.

“This has been a long road, but today is a moment of pride for everyone involved,” said Danielle Smith, director of resource development at Habitat for Humanity Okanagan. “This development represents more than just houses — it’s security, dignity and a fresh start for families who needed it most.”

Launched in 2020, the project weathered a global pandemic, sharp increases in construction costs and supply chain disruptions. Despite the challenges, Habitat was able to bring the project to completion without incurring construction debt — and even paid off the mortgage on the land two years early.

The 12 homes are spread across two triplexes, a duplex and a fourplex, with each offering three bedrooms and approximately 1,400 square feet of living space. Families were selected through Habitat’s program model, contributing 500 hours of volunteer work and purchasing their homes through income-geared mortgages, which cap housing costs at 30 per cent of gross income.

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“This is a model that works — it gives families long-term security and the opportunity to thrive,” Smith said. “We’re not just building homes; we’re building futures.”

Powley Court came together with the support of dozens of local businesses, tradespeople, donors and volunteers. Key contributions included:

• Rotarians from three Okanagan clubs who helped fund a living garden that now welcomes residents and neighbours.
• Lafarge Canada, which supplied essential landscaping materials.
• MAKR, which donated bike racks to support active living for the community’s children.
• Traine Construction & Development, which provided both funding and boots on the ground throughout the build.
• The RONA Foundation, which contributed $150,000 toward landscaping completion.
• The Lake Country Food Bank, which helped welcome families with food hampers and local resource support.

Habitat Okanagan also credited countless team build days and donations from suppliers and trades for helping stretch every dollar.

“Powley Court is proof that when community comes together, incredible things happen,” Smith said. “It’s a legacy of what’s possible — one family, one home at a time.”

And there’s more on the horizon. Habitat for Humanity Okanagan says it has major news to announce in the coming weeks — signalling this milestone is just the beginning of what’s next for affordable housing in the region.

For more information or to support upcoming projects, visit habitatforhumanityokanagan.ca.