The Community Services Building is undergoing a significant amount of change before being torn down and turned into supportive housing. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Spencer Sterritt

supportive housing

Transformations coming for Community Service Building to meet changing needs

Jul 16, 2020 | 6:13 AM

NANAIMO — A well-used office building which housed numerous service providers is changing once again.

The Community Service Building on Prideaux St., which was being converted into an emergency response centre to provide assistance to the homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic, will then be demolished and rebuilt as a 50-bed supportive housing complex.

Lisa Bhopalsingh, manager of community and cultural planning with the City of Nanaimo, said converting the building into supportive housing was a long-term goal of the City, with creating the emergency response centre a short-term goal which fit nearly with their larger project.

“The ultimate hope is with more and more proper health and housing supports in our city, we can improve the downtown and all neighbourhoods for the wellbeing of the community instead of leaving people unsheltered on the streets.”

The Prideaux St. supportive housing will be operated by the Nanaimo branch of the John Howard Society, who run numerous programs throughout the City.

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Valuable community services are currently housed in the building.

The popular 7-10 Club, which serves hundreds of free takeout meals every day, and the organization Options for Sexual Health, will now be forced to relocate elsewhere.

Many, such as the Nanaimo Brain Injury Society and the Society for Equity, Inclusion and Advocacy, were forced to move out of the building for renovations turning it into the emergency response centre.

“We are committed to working with the 7-10 club and any other tenants still in the building to ensure they do find a suitable home,” Bhopalsingh said. “The details of how that will unfold still have to be developed.”

The redevelopment of the Community Services Building was included in a much larger release from the province. Approximately 300 units of supportive and affordable housing will be created in the next several years at sites across Nanaimo.

The new supportive housing is designed to replace the two temporary housing sites created to handle the closure of Nanaimo’s sprawling tent city in late 2018.

The tent city itself was sparked by the dismissal of a $7 million supportive housing complex in Chase River by the previous council in early 2018.

Since 2018, the number of people experiencing homelessness has grown by roughly 25 per cent.

The 2020 point-in-time homelessness count found 425 were considered absolutely homeless on Nanaimo’s streets. This doesn’t include those who weren’t found on the day and many service providers estimate the real number if closer to 500 or 600 people living rough.

“We are not unusual across Canada in wrestling with the challenges of people who need supportive housing,” Bhopalsingh said.

Currently all of the supportive and affordable housing announced by the province is tentative.

Bhopalsingh said the projects will come before City council at various stages in the rezoning and development process, which is when community input is provided.

“We anticipate and hope we can have good dialogue with the community so their feedback is heard and considered by council and we can address and mitigate concerns.”

Virtual neighbourhood meetings are planned this summer involving community members and BC Housing, though no details have yet been released.

spencer@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @SpencerSterritt