The Haven Society in Nanaimo is getting ready to open a new building with 17 transition housing beds and 30 units of second-stage housing, part of almost 230 similar spaces recently opened across the province. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

safe living spaces

‘Safe and supported:’ Nanaimo’s Haven Society open new supportive housing complex

Mar 19, 2025 | 2:01 PM

NANAIMO — A number of housing spaces for women and children fleeing violent situations have opened across the province, including almost 50 in Nanaimo.

The B.C. government announced this week 229 units of new transition and second-stage housing are now available on Vancouver Island and in Metro Vancouver for vulnerable women and their families looking for safe and secure shelter.

Locally, those units are under the care of Nanaimo’s Haven Society, with executive director Daylene Jones telling NanaimoNewsNOW they’re currently in the final stages of construction for their new building, hoping to begin welcoming clients shortly.

“The new location will replace our old transition house, so the 17 beds that are currently existing will move to the new location and then it will add 30 units of second-stage housing for that program.”

The Haven Society’s new building will now have ten rooms for those 17 transition beds, up from seven in their previous building, and the 30 second-stage homes will be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units.

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Clients will still be charged a fee in second-stage housing, either a shelter rate or 30 per cent of someone’s income.

The building will have common spaces, a private place to meet with support workers, a child-minding area and an outdoor playground.

“From our partner organizations that have second-stage housing across the province, that second-stage housing fills up very quickly,” said Jones. “The supports are essential for the women and their families to really get the care they need and to reach the goals that they set for themselves in restarting their lives or rebuilding their lives.”

Second-stage housing is the next step and is a bit longer term with stays averaging anywhere between six and 18 months while clients take part in support programs.

Transition housing is designed to be a more short-term, communal living environment, with an average stay of about a month with 24/7 support provided on-site.

Jones said from April 2023 to May 2024, their Nanaimo transition house supported 167 women and children.

An additional 66 women and 48 children have stayed at the transition house from last June until the end of January.

In February alone, 318-bed stays were provided at the transition house service, an average of 11 people per night, with an additional 56-bed stays at their safe house in Oceanside.

Jones said both types of housing are important, with second-stage a big factor in helping clients get back on their feet.

“There’s a development of second-stage housing so women can continue to get support and have shelter while they’re getting ready to move out into independent living or finding other subsidized housing. It gives them a longer time to prepare so they can find the right place where they will be safe and supported.”

She said it’s important to have multiple layers of housing like this, with transition housing a key resource for those fleeing a violent situation, with housing nearly impossible to find in B.C. on short notice.

The province invested approximately $98 million in grants for these spaces through BC Housing’s Building BC: Women’s Transition Housing Fund.

Construction on the new housing began at the end of 2023, with the specific location for the housing are not made public by the province, with a representative from BC Housing citing safety and security concerns for their clients.

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