The Yukon government is offering more help to the Vimy Heritage Housing Society.

It has approved an extension on the hold of lot 511 in Whistle Bend until May 1, 2021 to support the society’s ongoing work to create a not-for-profit, supportive independent living rental housing facility for seniors.

Holding the lot will continue to provide the security that potential lenders and funders require, the government said Wednesday.

It will give the society more time to finalize its work to secure construction money for the housing project.

The planned facility is intended to address the housing gap between the total independence of the family home and the complete dependence of living in long-term care.

The society had originally hoped to see ground broken this spring.

A spot in the city’s downtown area was ruled out in 2017 after land at Fifth Avenue and Rogers Street was found contaminated and needed to be remediated.

“The Government of Yukon is pleased to continue its collaboration with the Vimy Heritage Housing Society to create an independent living rental housing facility for Yukon seniors,” said Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR) Minister Ranj Pillai.

“Comfortable, sustainable housing for seniors is an important part of our overall strategy to provide quality housing for Yukoners of all ages and economic backgrounds.”

The society has just received a grant of seed money from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. that will enable it to continue the design and planning work.

In 2019, the project’s estimated construction cost was $25.6 million.

The territorial Department of Economic Development provided $78,610 to the society to hire a consultant to develop a comprehensive business, operations, governance and construction plan.

The department had also given it $22,695 in March 2018 to hire a firm that did a comparative site analysis of various potential building lots – which were identified by the group in partnership with EMR.

“The dream is still alive,” society president Ranjit Sarin said Wednesday.

“Critical new funding from the Government of Yukon and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is allowing the Vimy Heritage Housing Society to keep moving into the exciting next phase towards completing a not-for-profit, state-of-the-art turn-key seniors supportive housing project for Yukon.

Projections suggest the territory’s greying population – with those aged 65 or older – will grow into the 20 per cent range by 2023.

The seven-year-old non-profit society is a partnership among the Royal Canadian Legion, the Whitehorse Elks Lodge, the Golden Age Society, the Yukon Order of Pioneers, the Yukon Council on Aging and the Elder Active Recreation Association.