Nanaimo – 1298 Nelson Street

BC Housing is leasing 78 units at the former Travellers Lodge care facility located at 1298 Nelson Street for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Each unit in the building will be for one person and will have a locking door, bed, attached washroom and place to store personal belongings. The building also has shared amenity spaces and gardens for residents to gather.

The new units will be allocated through the Coordinated Access and Assessment (CAA) process to people currently staying in shelters. Residents of this housing will be adults over the age of 19, including women and seniors. Individuals who will be prioritized here will include those who have expressed a desire to minimize exposure to alcohol and substances. As people move from shelters into Travellers Lodge, this will in turn open more shelter beds for people living outdoors.

The Ministry of Housing and City of Nanaimo signed a Memorandum of Understanding in January 2024 committing to work together to create more housing and shelter options for people experiencing homelessness in the community. This project is part of that commitment.

Services & Supports

BC Housing will select a non-profit operator through a fair and open process to manage these units and provide services to residents which will include:

• 24/7 on-site supports
• Individualized attention
• Integrated supports and case planning
• Two meals a day and laundry services

We will share more information about the operator once selected.

Community Updates

A caring community can contribute greatly to the success of supportive housing residents. BC Housing is committed to being a good neighbour and keeping lines of communication open. We will share more information on this page as it is available.

Residents are encouraged to post questions to this page using the Q&A tool below. We also welcome questions and comments by email at any time to: communityrelations@bchousing.org.