Central Saanich – The Aurora - 7606 East Saanich Rd

New permanent supportive housing is now home to residents of The Aurora, at 7606 E Saanich Road (formerly 1909 Prosser Rd). The building features 39 new homes with services and supports for people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, in Central Saanich.

This development is part of an ongoing commitment to build housing solutions for those in need and is one of six new projects that will deliver more than 280 permanent supportive homes for people experiencing homelessness across the Capital region.

What is supportive housing?

Supportive housing is for British Columbians experiencing or at risk of homelessness. People experiencing homelessness are not all the same. They can be young people, seniors, or people with physical or mental disabilities.

They may have experienced trauma, poverty, or struggled with the high cost of housing. Supportive housing provides secure homes with support services to allow residents to shift to a more stable and healthy life. Staff will be onsite 24/7. All residents:

• Currently live in Central Saanich region
• Apply to live in the building
• Pay rent
• Sign a program agreement (like a tenancy agreement)

At 7606 East Saanich Road, priority will be given to people at risk of homelessness in the Central Saanich region who need minimal supports and are ready to move toward living more independently. Many of our potential residents have been living successfully in temporary shelters.

The Non-Profit Operator

Pacifica Housing, one of Vancouver Island’s largest and longest standing providers of affordable housing and supportive services, will operate the building. Pacifica Housing services more than 2,500 individuals and families in Greater Victoria and Nanaimo and serve over 200 people in the wider community.

Learn more at: https://pacificahousing.ca/

Community engagement

Early engagement – August to December 2020

As part of early dialogue with the community, BC Housing held online virtual neighbourhood meetings in fall of 2020. These meetings provided the community with an opportunity to learn more about the new supportive housing and to ask questions about the project.

View the summary report

Design engagement – December 2020

Additional neighbourhood dialogues took place in December 2020 to discuss the project in more detail and collect feedback on the exterior and landscape design of the building.

Opening engagement – June 2023

Together with Pacifica, BC Housing invited neighbours of The Aurora to tour the new supportive housing facility to learn more about the services and supports available for residents, and to ask questions of the project team.

Community Advisory Committee

BC Housing and Pacifica Housing are committed to being good neighbours. To help build a healthy relationship with the neighbourhood, a Community Advisory Committee has been set up with committee members meeting regularly. This committee is made up of members of your community along with project partners.

Who To Call

To support neighbours and the greater Central Saanich community, we have added a Who to Call infosheet. This sheet provides a quick list of important contact details and in which situations they could be used.

Get in touch

Questions and comments about the project can be submitted at any time by emailing communityrelations@bchousing.org or calling 604-829-9321.