The B.C. government has purchased a former rooming house on Yates Street for $1.8 million that could provide permanent supportive housing for up to 40 people.
The dilapidated property at 1176 Yates St. has been vacant since 2003, when it was condemned because of unpermitted work that left the house structurally unsound. It was owned by Robin Kimpton, who once owned several Traveller’s Inn hotels that went into foreclosure.
The government said the 40 units would have wraparound supports, which in other supportive housing units includes on-site nurses, mental-health support and harm-reduction services. Construction is set to begin in December 2021.
A non-profit housing provider will be hired to manage the building, which will be composed of self-contained studio homes, the government said. Residents are expected to be provided with 24/7 on-site staff and support services, including meal programs, life and employment skills training, and health and wellness support services.
“This is yet another contribution by the province to help solve the housing challenges in the capital region,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said in a statement. She said the city will work to move the development through the municipal approvals process as quickly as possible in order to “support the provincial government in the great work they’re doing to provide supportive housing across our region.”
Helps also thanked Housing Minister Selena Robinson, B.C. Housing and city staff who worked together to make the project a reality.
In February 2019, the city gave Kimpton 60 days to fix the home or demolish it. The property was boarded up, but it was used by squatters and was the scene of two suspicious fires. The home was not demolished but is blocked off by a fence. Its windows are broken and it is covered with graffiti.
The government said there are 480 new homes either in development or already open for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the capital region.
Since May, at least 500 people have moved into temporary shelter secured by B.C. Housing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among people without homes.
Those temporary supportive housing sites include the Travelodge at 123 Gorge Rd. East, managed by the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, and the Howard Johnson at 310 Gorge Rd. East, the Comfort Inn and Suites on Blanshard Street, which the province purchased for $18.5 million and the former Paul’s Motor Inn on Douglas Street, which the province bought for $15 million. About 45 people are also staying in an emergency shelter established inside the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
“This project is the next step in our ongoing work to make sure vulnerable people in Victoria have a place to call home, with wraparound supports to help them build a better future,” said Carole James, deputy prime minister and MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill. “We know supportive housing makes a real difference for the residents and for communities, and we will continue to work with our partners to move people into the homes they deserve.”
kderosa@timescolonist.com