Victoria City Councillors Jeremy Caradonna and Stephen Hammond are bringing a motion before city council this week that would see Caledonia Place, formerly known as ‘Tiny Town’ relocated from its North Park site.
Caledonia Place is a supportive housing facility comprising 30 modular units that was originally set up in the parking lot adjacent to Royal Athletic Park, on the corner of Caledonia Avenue and Vancouver Street.
The site had its origins in the pandemic as a way to safely house some of Victoria’s most vulnerable, and after a brief shut down, reopened under the ownership of BC Housing while Our Place Society took care of its operations.
According to Caradonna, the site will soon have to be relocated because the City will have exhausted its use of Temporary Use Permits (TUPs) for Caledonia Place, come October 2025.
He says that while BC Housing has expressed interest in continuing to operate the modular supportive housing facility, a new location needs to be determined.
“It is crucial that the planning for the future of Caledonia Place begin now, so that there can be certainty for its residents about its next location. The future move must be done responsibly and in ways that minimize disruptions to vulnerable populations,” said Caradonna in a media release.
“This is also an opportunity for a neighbouring jurisdiction to satisfy its provincially imposed supportive housing targets, as Caledonia Place would meet the criteria. This is a facility with a stable, high-barrier population that could be placed on any hard surface of 20,000 square feet with access to plumbing and electrical.”
He added that Victoria has approved 216 units of supportive housing since 2023 and is on track to exceed that target.
Caradonna and Haammond’s motion would seek a new site for Caledonia Place and invites neighbouring communities to “adopt” the supportive housing facility.
They seek a community consultation campaign that would be conducted by the City.
Caradonna says it’s important for different neighbourhoods within Victoria’s boundaries to all share the responsibilities of aiding the unhoused community by being open to supportive housing being in their area.
“For too long, North Park has been expected to shoulder much of the obligations of sheltering and supportive housing for the entire region. North Park is doing its part, but it’s time for other areas to do theirs. It’s also time to look ahead to what the neighbourhood could become,” said Caradonna.
Related:
- ‘Urgent need for housing’ drives North Park’s Tiny Town to reopen under new name
- Victoria councillor calls on BC to provide better security around some supportive housing projects
In a separate motion being brought to the City’s committee of the whole meeting on Thursday, November 14th, Caradonna and Hammond seek approval for community consultation on the matter of a park that is slated to replace the Romeo’s-Urbana site at 1703-1745 Blanshard Street.
“In addition to potentially replacing the Crystal Pool, we want to hear from North Park residents and others about what their vision is for the future, including the park at 1703-1745 Blanshard and the parking lot at 940 Caledonia.
“Several residents have said they are interested in a mixed-use commercial-residential village, but we need to hear from the wider community before settling on a long-term vision,” Caradonna concluded.
More to come.
