The B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C. is shown on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

needed housing

Additional complex care units slated for Nanaimo

Apr 15, 2024 | 4:31 PM

NANAIMO — Funding from the provincial government is increasing the number of complex care facilities for those with mental health or addiction challenges.

As part of a 240-unit addition province-wide, Nanaimo will get 20 new spaces. Other beds will be added to existing facilities in Abbotsford, Burnaby, Kamloops, Kelowna, New Westminster, Prince George, Sechelt, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria.

The spaces come with wrap-around supports for people with overlapping challenges including developmental disabilities, trauma or an acquired brain injury.

“Their complex needs can lead to a cycle of evictions, stays in shelters and repeated visits to emergency rooms,” Jennifer Whiteside, minister of mental health and addictions, said in a statement. “More people can get the co-ordinated care they need right in their own homes, and they can live happier and healthier lives in their communities and remain connected to their support networks.”

Forty of the beds will be “Indigenous-led”, according to the province.

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Indigenous groups will work with the province to identify appropriate partners in different communities across B.C.

Complex-care housing is based on voluntary admission, with residents allowed to stay as long as they need.

Health care and other support staff work with residents, developing care plans and helping them maintain their housing situation.

The program funding these units was launched in 2022 and has seen 443 units built to date.

Results from the program to date include a reduced number of hospital visits and dealings with police in the localized communities.

It’s unclear whether the units in Nanaimo will be standalone, or part of an existing housing project.

The announcement made on Monday, April 15 is the latest in a string of housing-related gains for the Harbour City.

In late January, the province committed to 100 temporary housing beds via two facilities along Terminal Ave. and in Chase River.

A third facility on Nicol St. is moving through City of Nanaimo channels and is slated to contain 36 beds.

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