Unhoused Victorians now have access to 40 new shelter beds in Our Place Society operated facilities and soon, the Salvation Army will be adding another 32 beds to their stock.
These shelter spaces are being made available through funding from the Province via BC Housing.
The Province says the Our Place Society shelter spaces are for adults 19-years-old and up who do not have a permanent address or residence.
The Salvation Army spaces that will be available soon are for men seeking a recovery-oriented program.
Those who stay in these shelters receive access to a bed, food and washrooms, support from staff and connections to local community services, including housing opportunities.
“Our Place commends the provincial government for making these shelter beds available and stepping up to address street homelessness in Victoria,” said Julian Daly, CEO, Our Place Society.
“We are happy to be one of the providers of these initial shelter spaces and remain optimistic that the vast majority of unhoused folks will secure shelter in the coming months and be on their pathway to permanent housing. These units represent a fantastic and welcome first step.”
Recently, the City of Victoria signed a memorandum of understanding with the Province regarding helping unhoused Victorians, which in turn launched the Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) initiatives.
HEART and HEARTH have been the guiding hand in how Victoria approaches aiding unhoused residents since they began working in the city in February 2024.
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“I’m gratified to see these 72 shelter spaces made available for Victorians,” said Marianne Alto, mayor of Victoria.
“I thank the Province for this opportunity to collaborate within HEARTH and urge my local government colleagues to do the same. While BC Housing builds longer-term housing, these shelter beds support the city’s actions as we respond to urgent temporary housing needs.”
Since the City and Province signed their memorandum of understanding, BC Housing has reopened 30 units at Caledonia Place, converted 30 shelter beds at St. John the Divine (1611 Quadra St.) from winter to year-round, and added these new shelter beds.
Together, a total of 132 new spaces will be available for people experiencing homelessness.
According to BC Housing, there are currently 305 shelter spaces and 1,267 supportive housing units in operation in Victoria.
However, most are at or near capacity and there are an estimated total of at least 1,665 people experiencing homelessness in Victoria, according to 2023’s Point in Time survey.
This means that at least 93 people do not have access to a bed and are forced to sleep rough in parks or on the streets.
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