Nanaimo, 285 Prideaux Street – Supportive Housing

The long-term plan for Prideaux is to build supportive housing and work on the site is due to begin this fall. When a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is being set up BC Housing will send letters to the immediate neighbours inviting them to apply to join the CAC. Typically, that happens a few weeks prior to the supportive housing site opening.

 A Community Advisory Committee will be created to discuss any emergent and ongoing issues towards building a safer and healthier community, with representation that may include BC Housing, Vancouver Island Health Authority, the City of Nanaimo, local RCMP, local service providers and community members at large. 

We want to ensure that people are successful at maintaining housing stability. BC Housing and the non-profit operators will collaborate with local service providers in a thoughtful and thorough resident selection process that ensures staff can effectively manage the housing and provide the necessary support services for residents. 

All residents sign a Program Agreement that sets out expectations to be a good neighbour and resident.  If an operator ends an agreement and evicts a resident, they would look into housing and shelter options, so that people will not become homeless again.

The supportive housing will provide permanent homes for residents in need. For some residents, this will be their forever home. However, BC Housing and the non-profit operator will also work with residents on a transition plan into market rental housing when residents are ready and no longer require supportive housing. 

The Nanaimo Region John Howard Society will be the non-profit housing operator at 285 Prideaux Street. They will work with individuals to help stabilize their lives now that they are housed. 

We partner with health authorities to ensure staff are regularly onsite to provide a range of inpatient and outpatient services to building residents such as mental health and substance use, including treatment services, primary care and public health services. Services and referrals will be provided both onsite as well as appropriate referrals to off-site services.

All residents sign a Program Agreement that sets out expectations to be a good neighbour and resident.

BC Housing and the non-profit operators will collaborate with local service providers in a thoughtful and thorough resident selection process that ensures staff can effectively manage the housing and provide the necessary support services for residents. 

Thank you for the feedback. We agree with you that there is an urgent need to secure both temporary and permanent housing.  To respond to these issues, the Province, through the Rapid Response to Housing (RRH) Fund, is investing $291 million to build over 2,000 modular supportive housing units across B.C. for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This initiative will deliver a mix of permanent and temporary homes for people who urgently need housing.   

While this rapid response creates relief in the short term, the Province recognizes the need for permanent supportive housing to help people maintain housing security and improve their lives over the long term.  We’re working in partnership with the City of Nanaimo to increase the supply of affordable housing in Nanaimo with more than 880 homes completed or underway.   

The new supportive housing and affordable rental housing developments announced this past summer for Nanaimo will add approximately 300 much needed homes over the next few years. 

In the meantime, a temporary shelter was opened in mid-November at St. Peters Church, and we continue to work with community partners on additional shelter opportunities until such time as the permanent supportive housing sites are opened.  

BC Housing, the City of Nanaimo and their partners have held two virtual meetings for the proposed development at 285 Prideaux Street. There were 20 individuals who participated.  

Hi Kathleen, thanks for joining the discussion. Just to clarify, supportive housing provides permanent homes with supports to connect people to the resources they need to work towards living a healthy, stable life. That could include daily meals, treatment, employment and life-skills programming, and other supports. 

BC Housing and the non-profit operators partner with Island Health to ensure staff are regularly onsite to provide a range of inpatient and outpatient services to building residents including mental health and substance use, including treatment services, primary care and public health services if residents which to utilize those services. Services and referrals will be provided both onsite as well as appropriate referrals to off-site services.

The permanent supportive housing developments are not rehabilitation or detox centres. Island Health provides access to referrals to mental health and substance use services. For more information, please visit https://www.islandhealth.ca/our-services/mental-health-substance-use-services/access-referrals-mental-health-substance-use-services/referrals-nanaimo-mental-health-substance-use. 

Hello Gord, 

The 285 Prideaux virtual meeting has been posted: https://letstalkhousingbc.ca/nanaimo-285-prideaux-street

We are proposing a major investment in housing with the development of approximately 50 new permanent homes with supports at 285 Prideaux Street for those who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Nanaimo. These are members of the community – including seniors, and/or people with disabilities.

Supportive housing locations are determined based on proximity to transit, access to amenities, and availability of sites. After considering a range of sites across Nanaimo, the four supportive housing sites selected under the Memorandum of Understanding were the best options available. There were limited options available for purchase that met the necessary criteria within the North End at this time. However, there are currently other supportive housing developments in the North, including Uplands Walk, Boundary Crescent, Rosstown Road and Waddington. We continue to look at future available sites throughout the city.

Housing for people experiencing homelessness needs to meet people where they currently are, and then provide a connection to the resources they need to work towards living a healthy, stable life. There will be on-site supports provided including daily meals, treatment, and employment and life-skills programming. We partner with Island Health to ensure staff are regularly onsite to provide a range of inpatient and outpatient services to building residents. 

We want to work with the community to ensure successful integration of these new homes. A Community Advisory Committee will be established that will address ongoing community feedback or concerns. We all have a role to play in building a strong, safe and inclusive community and we hope you’ll continue to be part of the discussion as planning progresses. A recording of the virtual neighbourhood meetings that occurred on August 12, 2020 has been posted to this page.  

The building will be permanent supportive housing and the architecture will integrate into the neighbourhood aesthetic. BC Housing and the City of Nanaimo will work to implement design preferences of the community. We can incorporate different architectural styles into the building – there is flexibility and it is not a one size fits all approach. To see some example photos, check out the supportive housing case study overview on our Let’s Talk webpage.