Victoria – 225 Russell Street

BC Housing and Our Place Society are operating a temporary shelter with 70 beds for people experiencing homelessness in Victoria, at 225 Russell Street.
This temporary shelter provides safe, secure shelter and supports, as well as connection to permanent housing and community-based services. Staff are on-site 24 hours a day, seven days a week; this means that people staying at the shelter do not need to leave in the morning and return in the evening. Services provided include accommodation and meals, as well as connection to health and social services focused on transitioning shelter occupants to appropriate long-term housing.
Temporary Shelter
The shelter will operate for 18-months with the option to extend the permit an additional 6 months. This is an interim solution to an immediate need in the community.
Only people who are experiencing homelessness are eligible to move into the temporary shelter. Our Place, as the operator of the temporary shelter, implement an intake process that prioritizes Victoria residents.
Long-term Vision
225 Russell Street is part of a long-term strategy to create supportive housing in the Capital region. The long-term goal for this site is to redevelop the building creating 40-units of supportive housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This purpose-built supportive housing would include individual units for all residents, each with their own bathroom and kitchen. Many of the people who would move into this new supportive housing would have been living successfully in the temporary shelters leased in Victoria. Staff would continue to be on-site 24 hours a day providing important supports such as life skills training, wellness checks and other health and skill development programs. Applicants would go through an assessment process to create a mix of residents with the right supports. All residents would pay rent and sign a program agreement (similar to a tenancy agreement).
Community Advisory Committee
BC Housing is committed to being a good neighbour, as such we have set up a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) with representatives from BC Housing, Our Place Society, program partners, community organizations and community members. The purpose of the CAC is to:
- Build and maintain positive relationships amongst the community, the building operators and the program partners
- Facilitate information sharing and dialogue
- Identify and resolve any issues, opportunities and concerns related to the building
Community Engagement
We are engaging the community at various points throughout the development process. An information session was held in April 2021 where the public had an opportunity to learn more about the short-term use of site as a shelter and Our Place Society who operate the shelter.
The long-term plan for this site is to create 40-units of purpose-built supportive housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. To proceed with this, BC Housing have submitted a rezoning application to the City of Victoria. Ahead of this submission, BC Housing and our design partners hosted a Community Information Session on July 8, 2021. During this presentation, community members had the opportunity to view renderings, design elements, and ask questions related to the design of the building. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this session took place virtually. For privacy reasons we did not record the session, however a copy of the PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded below:
July 8, 2021: Community Information Session
We welcome questions and comments below in the Q&A or by email to: communityrelations@bchousing.org.
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