One of the City of Prince George's key goals is to provide affordable and accessible housing. The City works with developers, builders, and residents to realise this objective by offering resources to help with the construction of accessible homes in PG.
Adaptable Housing
Adaptable housing incorporates design features like wider doors and hallways and a bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen unit on the main floor. Other features highlighted by the City of Prince George's Adaptable Housing Standards include:
- No steps are required to access the adaptable housing unit.
- Bathroom, kitchen, and door hardware use a lever-type system.
- Blocking is installed in the main floor bathroom walls.
Download the Adaptable Housing Checklist [PDF]
Visitable Housing
Visitable housing provides a level of access that is friendly to individuals with mobility limitations by incorporating several key accessibility features into the design process. Some others include:
- An accessible path to at least one no-step entrance to the main floor.
- A home with door openings on the main floor to accommodate a person with limited mobility and persons using a wheelchair.
- Access to a main floor washroom that a person with a mobility device can enter, close the door, and use the facilities.
Download the Visitable Housing Checklist [PDF]
CMHC Flex Housing
The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Society analysed the cost of adaptable housing versus standard housing in a 2015 study. Some of the study's findings include:
- Adding selected accessibility features to baseline home designs generated either negligible or low incremental costs.
- Additional costs incurred by constructing selected accessible and adaptable homes, though not insignificant, are nevertheless much lower than to outright convert an existing dwelling to make it more accessible.
For more information about CMHC flex housing:
Spinal Cord Injury BC's Accessible Housing Listings