Nanaimo – 250 Terminal Ave

Permanent Supportive and Affordable Housing

BC Housing and the City of Nanaimo are working together to build much-needed permanent supportive and affordable homes at 250 Terminal Avenue. These new homes are an important part of our effort to address and prevent homelessness in the Nanaimo area.

We are currently proposing to build a 5-storey building with 50 studio homes on this site. These homes would be for single adults experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Nanaimo.

In a second phase, we plan to build another 5-storey building with 34 affordable homes for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities.

Newcastle Place Temporary Housing with Supports

Currently, 250 Terminal Avenue is home to temporary supportive housing called Newcastle Place, which opened in 2019. In 2024, the BC Housing renewed funding for Newcastle Place under the Province’s HEARTH program. In the coming weeks, current residents of Newcastle Place will move to new permanent supportive housing at Cornerstone, 285 Prideaux Street. After residents move, the units will then be re-opened to provide up to 50 more beds while we provide supports and services to people transitioning from shelters to permanent housing. Island Crisis Care Society will continue to operate the temporary housing with supports at Newcastle Place.

The Ministry of Housing has strong concerns about the number of people experiencing homelessness in Nanaimo and the lack of shelter beds in the community. Temporarily re-opening Newcastle Place will bring much needed opportunities for vulnerable individuals to access warm, safe spaces with supports. During this time, we will continue our work to develop permanent housing on this site.

BC Housing held two virtual neighbourhood dialogue sessions on Tuesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 29, 2024, with 44 people attending in total. BC Housing and City of Nanaimo representatives participated in both sessions. This was an opportunity to present the HEARTH program and temporary housing re-opening at Newcastle and hear feedback from neighbours. After a brief presentation a Q&A followed for the remainder of the hour-long sessions. Please view the Neighbourhood Dialogue Session presentation and Engagement Summary Report for more information.

What is supportive housing?

Supportive homes are typically self-contained studio apartments with on-site services. All tenants pay rent and receive individual case planning. Support services depend on a person’s needs, and can include:

• daily meals
• life skills training
• employment assistance
• referrals to health care
• connections to other community services

Operator

BC Housing will select an operator through a fair and open process to operate the new permanent supportive homes and future affordable homes at 250 Terminal Avenue.

Island Crisis Care Society (ICSS) will be operating the temporary transitional housing at Newcastle Place. Learn more about ICCS at: islandcrisiscaresociety.ca.

Development

BC Housing submitted a rezoning application to the City of Nanaimo for 250 Terminal Avenue on June 8, 2023.

Community Engagement

A caring community can contribute greatly to the success of supportive housing residents. BC Housing and ICSS commit to keeping lines of communication open throughout these projects, answering questions, and addressing any concerns.

Please download our Who to Call / When to Call flyer for Newcastle Place.

From 2020 to 2023, BC Housing and the City of Nanaimo engaged with the local community about the proposed supportive housing project. Engagements included virtual public dialogue sessions, building design consultation and email questions and answers.

On March 11, 2024, an in-person open house was held at the Beban Park Social Centre, from 6pm - 8pm. Approximately 50 people attended this event including neighbours of 250 Terminal Ave, and the greater Nanaimo Community. View the engagement summary report.

We continue to welcome questions or comments at any time by email to communityrelations@bchousing.org.