The new wraparound services hub at 2155 Dowler Place for unhoused Victorians and those seeking treatment is running smoothly and looking forward to expanding their services.
This facility has been the source of much controversy since it was announced, with some members of the North Park neighbourhood being upset that the City of Victoria did not consult the community before deciding the location for the services hub.
The site is owned and operated by SOLID Outreach, who have been operating in the city since 2007—slowly growing the services they offer for those who struggle with addictions, mental health issues and being unhoused.
The City provided SOLID with a one-time grant of $300,000 last year to purchase and refurbish the property at 2155 Dowler Place and is also giving the services hub up to $1.8 million in annual funding.
Since acquiring the property in the summer, SOLID has been renovating parts of the building and slowly rolling out their services to their clients as they go.
“We’ve had staff doing housing and detox referrals there since summer from the office side, but we just finished renovations on the main service area,” said Mark Wilson, Senior Director of SOLID Outreach.
He added that the facility now has partial occupancy approved for the larger space, which can accommodate people overnight while they’re waiting on housing and entering or coming out of detox/treatment.
They have staff on-hand to support all the transitions their clients must undergo.
Now that they have the ability to provide a warm place to stay and a bed for those seeking some form of housing, they will have clients staying the night beginning as early as next week.
The next step is to finish the additional exterior renovations to expand their services further.
“We’re working with the City to get the outdoor covered area in compliance so we’ll be able to use that space down the line, but for now the indoor space is ready for overnight services,” Wilson continued.
Neighbourhood response
While some community members have embraced the work SOLID is doing out of Dowler Place, many have been vocal about their opposition to having a services hub in their neighbourhood.
Some have even accused the City of Victoria of sidestepping their own bylaws and policies in order to get the services hub open.
Jessica Woollard, a media liaison representing North Park residents opposed to the facility being in their community, says that the accessory building being built on the property is a zoning violation because it is being built on the side of the building instead of the rear.
Additionally, she told Victoria Buzz in a media release that a permit should have been required for the accessory building and that the foundations of this accessory building are on public property.
“Because the post-and-beam structure with metal roof exceeds 10 square meters (it is approx. 60 sq. m.), it requires a building permit,” said Woollard.
She added that no information has been provided by the City regarding a Land Use Agreement or easement for use of this parcel of public land adjacent to their property.
To this the City says that they are working with SOLID to bring the outdoor structure at 2155 Dowler into compliance.
A permit will only be issued for the exterior structure once it is deemed compliant by the Chief Building Inspector.
Many residents of the area have also been concerned about an uptick in crime around the services hub since it began offering services.
Victoria Buzz asked VicPD if they have had any calls to the area, but they were unaware that any operations had begun from the site.
However, the site has been subject to crime, where the outdoor ‘accessory building’ structure has been recently defaced with graffiti reading, “NO TO SOLID,” “STOP THIS” and “NOT WELCOME.”
