Dozens of new shelter spaces are opening in Victoria with the help of provincial funding, as announced in a joint press conference at the B.C. legislature today.
All of the 72 new beds will be operated by existing community organizations, with 40 to become available at Our Place Society shelters. The Salvation Army will host the rest of the new shelter beds at an existing shelter. The province says it will fund the costs of operating these beds and fund renovations at a shelter operated by Our Place.
Mayor Marianne Alto thanked the province for stepping up and praised the city's partnership with the province. However, she noted Victoria shares an unequal burden when it comes to offering supports for those on the streets.
"These people are here because nobody is stepping up to provide the same services and space," Alto said, noting that these spaces could be life-changing for many people who are unsheltered.
"This is essentially not fair. It is not fair to the city of Victoria, it is not fair to the City of Victoria, it is not fair to the province, it is not fair for those seeking help," Alto added.
Our Place CEO Julian Daly said the units announced today are a great first step to address the direct suffering that comes from living the streets, as well as the distress that citizens feel when they see others sleeping rough on the streets. He was glad to announce that Our Place would be operating those 40 shelter beds.
"I'm even happier to announce that last night we opened the first of those 20 spaces at the community centre on Pandora Avenue," he said. "This is particularly fitting given that Pandora Avenue has been at the epicentre of this crisis."
The minister responsible for housing, Ravi Kahlon was present at the announcement, as was the minister of children and family development, local MLA Grace Lore. The new beds are part of the Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) agreement between the province and city.