Crews are at 702 Nicol St. building the first of many new supportive housing facilities in Nanaimo. (Island Crisis Care Society)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

new build

Construction begins on first of many new supportive housing facilities in Nanaimo

May 18, 2021 | 2:13 PM

NANAIMO — Work is underway to build the first in a slate of supportive and affordable housing complexes around Nanaimo.

Construction crews are now at 702 Nicol St., which is expected to be a 66-unit supportive housing complex, including 14 units specifically for vulnerable women.

The facility will be operated by the Island Crisis Care Society, who run a similar facility in Parksville and the since-closed Samaritan House women’s shelter.

“This is the next step of having that and having the space that we can really support women to take that next step forward,” Violet Hayes, executive director of the Island Crisis Care Society, said.

The facility is one of two supportive housing projects being built on Nicol. St. as part of a substantial project, which includes renovating and rebuilding the controversial temporary housing site on Terminal Ave.

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“There’s 355 Nicol, we sold that building to BC Housing and they’re going to be building on that. It all hinges on this first one and then they’ll all start moving,” Hayes said.

People currently staying at the Community Services Building on Prideaux St. will move into 702 Nicol St. once construction is complete in September.

The Prideaux St. building is then set to become a 51-unit supportive housing site operated by the Nanaimo Region John Howard Society. Community consultation is underway but no development permit has been issued as of yet.

There’s currently six sites in Nanaimo slated for new housing involving BC Housing. The 702 Nicol St. is the only one to reach the permitting stage.

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