Two temporary shelter sites in Victoria opened during the pandemic are set to empty as residents move into more-permanent supportive housing.
The last few residents in a shelter on Russell Street were expected to move out by this weekend into a new 52-unit modular housing project in Saanich, while the final residents in a Howard Johnson hotel on Gorge Road East are expected to join them next week, said Grant McKenzie, communications director for Our Place Society.
Those leaving the Russell Street building are trading a shelter space containing pods with a single bed, separated from others by temporary walls, for their own rooms with a private bathroom and a kitchen area.
B.C. Housing is applying to the City of Victoria to rezone the property, with plans to renovate it for use as a supportive housing facility featuring self-contained studios for people at risk of homelessness.
The province’s lease on the hotel is set to end on April 15, when the site will return to the owner, B.C. Housing said. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, parent company of Howard Johnson, did not respond to questions about its plans for the site.
For those moving out of the shelters and into a permanent home on Albina Street in Saanich, “this is in essence, the final step,” McKenzie said. “The people here have stabilized. They’re willing to do that work and this can be their forever home if they choose,” he said. Our Place Society is operating the building with 24/7 staff, a nurse’s station and two counselling rooms.
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