Nanaimo, 285 Prideaux Street – Supportive Housing

In September 2021, the lease for the Community Services Building at 285 Prideaux Street was transferred from the City of Nanaimo to BC Housing. Previously used as a COVID-19 emergency response centre (ERC), BC Housing will build 51 new permanent homes with supports for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness on this site.
Connective Support Society Nanaimo (formerly known as Nanaimo Region John Howard Society) will operate the building with staff onsite 24/7.
What is supportive housing?
Supportive housing provides secure homes for people who need supports. These supports allow residents to shift to a more stable and healthy life.
All residents will:
- Currently live in Nanaimo
- Apply to live in the building
- Pay rent
- Sign a program agreement (like a tenancy agreement)
BC Housing engaged to community to receive input into the design of the building and property. View selected design choices.
If you have any questions about this project please contact us at communityrelations@bchousing.org
Construction
Now that the former Community Service building is demolished, construction site work is starting to prepare the area for the craning in of the modular supportive housing units. Every effort will be taken to minimize the impact on neighbours.
What you can expect:
- Hours of work will be Monday to Saturday, between 7 am and 6 pm. Some work may also take place on Sundays between 9 am and 5 pm.
- There will be security patrols at the site at various times.
- There will be noise from excavation equipment, earth-moving machinery, concrete delivery trucks and other heavy equipment, particularly for the initial 10 weeks of construction.
- The westbound lane of Fitzwilliam Street adjacent to the site will be closed off. The sidewalk along this section will also be closed 24 hours a day until this scope of work is complete.
- There will be potential road closures during off-site civil works for approximately two months starting in early 2023 affecting Prideaux Street and the left turn lane of Fitzwilliam Street.
The safety of neighbours and staff is our priority:
- All work on site meets WorkSafe BC construction guidelines.
- Workers will wear protective equipment.
- COVID safety protocols are in place and will be followed
Neighbourhood Engagement
BC Housing and our partners hosted online virtual neighbourhood meetings in August 2020, to share information about the plan for 285 Prideaux Street, answer questions and collect community feedback. A video recording of the event can be viewed below.
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.
A survey was live on this page to collect input into the proposed design options from December 11, 2020 – January 6, 2021.
You can also view the presentation from the neighbourhood meeting, and send questions and feedback through the Q&A tool below. We welcome your feedback.
Community Advisory Committee
Prior to the building opening we will work to set up a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) with representatives from BC Housing, the housing operator (Connective Support Society Nanaimo), other partners, community organizations and community members. We will also be working with established neighbourhood associations and organizations to successfully integrate the new buildings and residents into the community.