Saanich is offering about a half-acre of municipal land to the province to accommodate 40 to 60 modular supportive housing units to help address homelessness.
Mayor Richard Atwell said discussions with B.C. Housing, ongoing for months, are at the point where they should be shared with the community as the issue of homelessness flares.
The land being offered is north of Saanich Fire Hall No. 1 on Vernon Avenue.
The provincial government is offering to build 2,000 modular homes with 24/7 support services around B.C. It has said all it needs are applications and land from the municipalities.
In the capital region, only Victoria has struck a deal.
Modules are built off-site and then moved to the building site where they are assembled using a crane.
“Given the state of homelessness in the region, I am of the opinion the highest and best use of the property is modular housing,” Atwell said.
The municipal land being offered is zoned for this purpose and only a development permit would be needed, Atwell said.
“We’re hopeful that by providing this land, we’re moving in the right direction to secure housing and satisfy some of the need for housing in the region,” chief administrative officer Paul Thorkelsson said in a statement.
“Saanich staff and council remain committed to a compassionate and dignified approach to providing support for people experiencing homelessness in our community.”
B.C. Housing is evaluating the site with surveying work to be completed soon, the district said. The number of modular supportive housing units to be placed on the land is undetermined, but Atwell estimated the property could likely fit 40 to 60 units.
In addition to offering the land, the district said it continues to assist the provincial government by exploring options for social housing and other solutions.
Homeless campers now at Goldstream Provincial Park came via provincial land at Saanich’s Ravine Way and Regina Park where they stayed for five months until that camp was shut down last Friday, after police enforced a B.C. Supreme Court injunction requiring about 115 campers to relocate. About 20 of that group are at Goldstream.
Overnight sheltering from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. is available in 102 Saanich parks, with restrictions, for people experiencing homelessness, said the district, as the future lodging of campers at Goldstream remains unresolved.
A hygiene station and storage facility on the grounds of Saanich municipal hall that opened in early July will remain open as a support service for those who might need to seek overnight shelter.
The District of Saanich said it will release more information on negotiations for the modular housing once they become available.
“We are working on this and we hope it leads to modular housing that can be built in the short term to address homelessness in the region,” Atwell said. “I imagine the municipality will move very very quickly to grant approvals.”
He said that if the project gets underway soon, some modular housing could be open by late spring or early summer.
