BC Housing has started work on the last of six facilities announced in the spring of 2021 to house individuals in the Capital Region experiencing homelessness or who may be at-risk of homelessness.

 

 

As construction winds down on five buildings in Victoria, Saanich and Central Saanich, crews have begun preliminary work on a 56-unit complex at 953-959 Balmoral Road in Victoria’s North Park neighbourhood.

 

The five-storey low-rise will be operated by the Cool Aid Society as permanent housing with support services, and is scheduled for occupancy in 2023.

 

Collectively, the six builds will contribute nearly 300 permanent supportive homes as part of a provincial plan to address homelessness in the Capital through the creation of 24/7-managed housing solutions.

 

The unit allotments are allocated as 37 at 1176 Yates Street, 45 at 865 Catherine Street, 50 at 1053-1057 Meares Street, and 56 on Balmoral Road, all within the City of Victoria. A further 52-units are coming to 2933-2949 Albina Street in Saanich and 39-units at 1909 Prosser Road in Central Saanich. Occupancy at the initial five sites is expected later this fall, or by early winter of 2023.

 

To expedite the delivery of units, all six projects utilize pre-fabricated off-site building components shipped to construction sites for assembly. The method has been used by BC Housing on multiple local projects, including a 75-unit apartment complex 2170 Charters Road in Sooke, and Hillside Avenue’s apartments for First Nation, Inuit and Metis women experiencing homelessness (located at the Evergreen Terrace community).

 

In addition to the six buildings announced by BC Housing in 2021, additional facilities are in the planning phase to situate individuals living in former hotels (acquired or leased by the province in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic) into purpose-built supportive housing. C

 

Receive Citified's timely real-estate news straight to your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter, and connect with us on Facebook: