With nearly 300 new homes coming to Victoria, advocates stress need for addictions treatment

Nearly 300 new homes are coming to Victoria – in areas where the housing crisis is most visible.

Poverty support organizations and Victoria’s mayor are underscoring the need for adequate addictions and mental health services as the province prepares to add 295 units to the capital city’s housing stock.

Over the weekend, the province announced it will spend nearly $100 million on two construction projects.

“These homes will lower rental costs for working people and families while bringing people sheltering outside indoors, so they can have stability, dignity and support they need to move forward,” said Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, in a news release.

One of the developments will see 90 supportive studio apartments built on Discovery Street near downtown Victoria. The Our Place Society will operate the eight-storey building, which is expected to be ready by mid-2027.

“It’s desperately needed,” said Julian Daly, executive director for the Our Place Society.

The other development will see a 21-storey building fill a vacant lot on Pandora Avenue, bringing 47 supportive homes, 158 affordable rentals, and a child care space to the area.

“People who are currently homeless will be able to find a home there,” Daly told CTV News Vancouver Island.

Construction is expected to begin soon and wrap by spring of 2029.

“If we’re going to have… nearly, you know, 200 units of housing here, including housing for families, clearly things have to be different on the block,” Daly said.

There are fences blocking off a large portion of Pandora Avenue, but it hasn’t deterred some people from erecting tents and using drugs on the sidewalks. If the new housing developments are to be successful, Daly said mental health and addiction services need to be expanded, so people aren’t waiting for treatment.

“Until that happens, I think that compromises the ability to develop successfully here and to create a community in this block and surrounding it that feels safe and accessible for everyone, including the people who come to use services here,” he said.

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said various support services will be offered in the new buildings.

“We’ve had experience using spaces without adequate supports and they’ve, generally speaking, failed or certainly not met our expectations,” she said.

“As we build the homes, we need to ensure that they’re matched with the services. And that’s (achieved through) a partnership with the province, primarily.”

Alto is optimistic about the new builds, calling them “spectacular.”

Douglas King, the executive director of the Together Against Poverty Society, isn’t so sure.

“We’re a little concerned that we’re seeing more of these larger buildings with dozens and dozens of units being run by one provider,” King said.

He worries staff may struggle to give residents the individual attention they need.

“We want to see smaller buildings with better ratios for staff to really support the people that are inside,” he said.