Victoria’s Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre is currently being converted into a temporary shelter space to house people from the homeless camps at Topaz Park and Pandora Avenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The B.C. government confirmed Monday that 45 people from the city’s homeless encampments will be housed in the arena, which is being converted into an emergency response centre by the province.
The arena floor is being equipped with individual pods — the first of their kind in the province — to provide privacy for those who stay at the arena, courtesy of Staples Business Advantage.
The speed at which the pop-up solution can be assembled is a big advantage, says the provincial government in a statement, and there are plans to expand their use to other emergency response centres.
People living at the shelter will have access to services such as meals, washroom facilities, health-care services, addictions treatment and harm reduction, as well as storage space for personal belongings.
For the most part in Victoria, hotels have been leased by BC Housing to provide shelter for vulnerable populations living at Topaz Park and on Pandora Ave, many of them reserved for specific at-risk groups like women and youth.
This emergency response shelter will be used to accommodate couples and groups of people who wish to stay together, where possible.
“This is a challenging time for everyone, especially for people experiencing homelessness. In Victoria, we have seen encampments at Topaz Park and the Pandora corridor grow into unsafe, dense encampments that are compounding existing health, well-being and safety challenges,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
“The centre offers a temporary and secure place with wraparound support services to help people stay safe during this time.”
People will start being moved into the arena next week, and the site will be staffed 24 hours a day while it’s open.
See also: Homeless people at Victoria, Vancouver encampments will be moved to shelters by May 9
“We are grateful to GSL for working with BC Housing and the Province to make this facility available to help those in Victoria in need of temporary sheltering, meals or specialized health services,” said Lisa Helps, mayor, City of Victoria.
“Moving into the arena in the short term is a step closer for people to have safe, secure long-term housing.”
An order on April 25 through the Emergency Program Act by Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth, requires homeless encampments at Topaz Park, Pandora Ave, and Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver to be dismantled by May 9, by which time all occupants need to be sheltered at emergency response centres or hotel rooms.
Transfer to hotel spaces will be referrals-only, meaning BC Housing, its non-profit partners, and health authorities will choose who goes to which shelter space and when.
At the time, there were 360 people living at the Topaz Park and Pandora Ave encampments.
As of May 4, 92 people from those encampments have been moved into temporary shelters.
