Victoria – 938 Mason Street – Wellness House

Render of a black four story building

Architectural rendering of Wellness House, designed by Formline Architecture + Urbanism. Please note, this rendering is subject to change.


BC Housing, the City of Victoria and the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society are working together to develop Culturally Supportive Housing at 938 Mason Street in Victoria.

We are currently calling this project “Wellness House.” We will consult with local Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous people with lived experience to design the building and the programming. Through this, we aim to provide culturally supportive housing for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The Wellness House’s model of care is currently under development, but it will aim to addresses many systemic barriers to housing and health care for Indigenous peoples. It will be the first housing of its kind in BC, creating a safe and culturally supportive environment with wraparound care that aligns traditional Indigenous and western health approaches.

The Operator

The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society (ACEH) will be the operator of Wellness House. The ACEH has experience operating Culturally Supportive Housing since 2020, and currently operates SPAKEN House (Flower House) and Kwum Kwum LeLum (House of Courage):

Learn more about ACEHS by visiting acehsociety.com.

What is Culturally Supportive Housing?

Culturally Supportive Housing encompasses cultural supports and decolonized harm reduction practices. It draws on Indigenous knowledge to reimage systems and approaches for addressing homelessness and substance use disorders. As part of the dual model of housing care, Culturally Supportive Housing is similar to other supportive housing projects in that it provides daily meals, life and employment skills training, health care referrals, and other community services. What makes Culturally Supportive Housing unique is that it also focuses on strengthening Indigenous self-identity and building community. This holistic approach addresses the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being through culturally supportive, trauma-informed practices. These practices include land-based healing, cultural programming, traditional foods, Elder mentorship, ceremony, and traditional healing.

The Wellness House will welcome single adults and couples of all genders, including seniors and people with disabilities.

Development Timeline

We’re working towards demolition of the existing building as the next project milestone. Site preparation and construction will follow. We will keep neighbours and nearby businesses informed ahead of major construction on site, including timeline expectations, when they are made available.

Render of a four story black low rise apartment buildingA second view of Wellness House architectural rendering, designed by Formline Architecture + Urbanism. Please note: this rendering is subject to change.Community Engagement

A caring community contributes greatly to the success of the housing residents. BC Housing and ACEH are committed to being good neighbours and keeping lines of communication open throughout this project.

On July 17, 2024, ACEH, Formline Architecture + Urbanism, and BC Housing hosted a dinner and meeting with the North Park Neighbourhood Association (NPNA) to present information and answer questions about Wellness House.

Following this meeting, the project teams made design changes that support the building’s integration into the neighbourhood. Some changes include:

  • Adjusting the position of the outdoor social/smoking area
  • Installation of fire safety infrastructure on the northern property line
  • Setback adjustments
  • Additional landscaping enhancements

We thank the NPNA for their engagement and input. These design adjustments will increase safety, improve privacy, reduce noise impact, allow for better sunlight access to neighbouring properties and enhance the neighbourhood streetscape.

On April 8, 2025, we mailed a letter to Wellness House neighbours to share updates about the design and development timeline, and to schedule a follow up meeting with NPNA later in April.

BC Housing and ACEH commit to keeping lines of communication open with neighbours throughout this project. When the building opens, we will share a Who to Call/When to Call sheet with neighbours that includes a direct phone number and email address. We commit to addressing any concerns quickly and collaboratively.

Questions

We welcome questions and comments by email to communityrelations@bchousing.org.

Architectural rendering of Wellness House, designed by Formline Architecture + Urbanism. Please note, this rendering is subject to change.


BC Housing, the City of Victoria and the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society are working together to develop Culturally Supportive Housing at 938 Mason Street in Victoria.

We are currently calling this project “Wellness House.” We will consult with local Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous people with lived experience to design the building and the programming. Through this, we aim to provide culturally supportive housing for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The Wellness House’s model of care is currently under development, but it will aim to addresses many systemic barriers to housing and health care for Indigenous peoples. It will be the first housing of its kind in BC, creating a safe and culturally supportive environment with wraparound care that aligns traditional Indigenous and western health approaches.

The Operator

The Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness Society (ACEH) will be the operator of Wellness House. The ACEH has experience operating Culturally Supportive Housing since 2020, and currently operates SPAKEN House (Flower House) and Kwum Kwum LeLum (House of Courage):

Learn more about ACEHS by visiting acehsociety.com.

What is Culturally Supportive Housing?

Culturally Supportive Housing encompasses cultural supports and decolonized harm reduction practices. It draws on Indigenous knowledge to reimage systems and approaches for addressing homelessness and substance use disorders. As part of the dual model of housing care, Culturally Supportive Housing is similar to other supportive housing projects in that it provides daily meals, life and employment skills training, health care referrals, and other community services. What makes Culturally Supportive Housing unique is that it also focuses on strengthening Indigenous self-identity and building community. This holistic approach addresses the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being through culturally supportive, trauma-informed practices. These practices include land-based healing, cultural programming, traditional foods, Elder mentorship, ceremony, and traditional healing.

The Wellness House will welcome single adults and couples of all genders, including seniors and people with disabilities.

Development Timeline

We’re working towards demolition of the existing building as the next project milestone. Site preparation and construction will follow. We will keep neighbours and nearby businesses informed ahead of major construction on site, including timeline expectations, when they are made available.

Render of a four story black low rise apartment buildingA second view of Wellness House architectural rendering, designed by Formline Architecture + Urbanism. Please note: this rendering is subject to change.Community Engagement

A caring community contributes greatly to the success of the housing residents. BC Housing and ACEH are committed to being good neighbours and keeping lines of communication open throughout this project.

On July 17, 2024, ACEH, Formline Architecture + Urbanism, and BC Housing hosted a dinner and meeting with the North Park Neighbourhood Association (NPNA) to present information and answer questions about Wellness House.

Following this meeting, the project teams made design changes that support the building’s integration into the neighbourhood. Some changes include:

  • Adjusting the position of the outdoor social/smoking area
  • Installation of fire safety infrastructure on the northern property line
  • Setback adjustments
  • Additional landscaping enhancements

We thank the NPNA for their engagement and input. These design adjustments will increase safety, improve privacy, reduce noise impact, allow for better sunlight access to neighbouring properties and enhance the neighbourhood streetscape.

On April 8, 2025, we mailed a letter to Wellness House neighbours to share updates about the design and development timeline, and to schedule a follow up meeting with NPNA later in April.

BC Housing and ACEH commit to keeping lines of communication open with neighbours throughout this project. When the building opens, we will share a Who to Call/When to Call sheet with neighbours that includes a direct phone number and email address. We commit to addressing any concerns quickly and collaboratively.

Questions

We welcome questions and comments by email to communityrelations@bchousing.org.

Page last updated: 10 Apr 2025, 01:26 PM