Over 70 shelter spaces to be added in Victoria, province says

More than 70 beds will be added to existing shelters in Victoria to better support people experiencing homelessness in B.C.'s capital, the provincial housing minister said Wednesday. 

Existing sites will be expanded and renovated to get more people indoors, Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon said in a news conference, with 20 beds opening Tuesday and the remaining to be added in the coming weeks. 

"We know that there's a lot more work to do, and this is an important step to address those challenges," Kahlon said during the news conference. 

Out of the total of 72 new spaces, 40 will be provided by the Victoria-based outreach group Our Place Society, CEO Julian Daly said. 

The society helped open the first 20 beds at the organization on 919 Pandora Ave.

"The units announced today represent a fantastic and welcome first step in ending the suffering of people who are living rough on our streets," Daly said during the news conference. 

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said she signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with B.C.'s Ministry of Housing earlier this year and remained hopeful for the kind of announcement that was made Wednesday morning. 

"It's important that these spaces are available, but it's also important for this announcement to demonstrate to my and our colleagues around the region and the province what's possible," Alto says. 

Alto says she's happy to continue to work with the province in finding more ways to help combat homelessness around the Greater Victoria region and elsewhere in B.C. 

"These new spaces will be very welcome and in some cases life changing," Alto said. 

More than 1,600 people in Victoria experienced homelessness in 2023, according to Homeless Hub, which collects research on homelessness from across Canada. Only 282 people were staying in emergency shelters in 2023, the data shows, while 601 were in transitional housing and 1,096 in provisional accommodations. 

Kahlon says the province is also partnering with the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness in a $2 million investment over the next few years to better co-ordinate with the support B.C. is providing for housing. This is to ensure people have the best access to housing and that housing supports are being used in the most effective way, he said.  

The province is also working to get 800 supportive housing units in Victoria and 3,000 affordable homes being built or underway in B.C., Kahlon said.