Samaritan Place is now open at 702 Nicol St., representing the first of four supportive housing developments to open in Nanaimo. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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NANAIMO — Doors are just days away from officially opening at a brand new supportive housing complex in the city.

Samaritan Place, a newly developed modular housing built on Nicol St., will welcome its first residents next week and provide a safe space for those escaping a variety of situations.

Ronell Bosman, manager of Samaritan Place told NanaimoNewsNOW the current residents of their temporary housing facility on Prideaux St. will begin moving in beginning Tuesday, March 22.

“Our year with them at Prideaux Place really helped them settle in and get used to structure and guidelines and they really appreciate a place where they could lay their head down, where there were meals and all the basic needs were met.”

The new Samaritan Place provides 51 self-contained supportive studio units for men and women, as well as 14 ‘bridge-to-housing’ spaces exclusively for vulnerable women.

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The self-contained units are permanent housing for as long as the resident needs it, while bridge-to-housing units are designed to be a stop-gap solution for women fleeing violence and other harmful situations.

Second-floor apartments in the complex are exclusively for women, providing an additional layer of safety for those needing it.

Residents are provided two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, but can cook in the suites with a full kitchenette. A secure space is also available outside for recreation and gardening while a shared laundry facility is also included.

“This is permanent, they don’t have to go anywhere,” Bosman said. “The supportive housing provides 24/7 staffing, we will have nurses coming in, we’ll have primary care health team, a mental health worker and two outreach caseworkers to support them.”

In addition to housing, the goal of Samaritan Place is to provide basic life skills. Various programming, social events and cooking classes will be on offer for residents.

The modular building also has a two-bedroom family unit which will serve as emergency housing for a family with children on a short-term basis.

It is run by the Island Crisis Care Society, with executive director Violet Hayes saying during a tour of the facility on Friday, March 18, the complex isn’t exclusively for people escaping a life on the street, rather an outreach to those who need it for a variety of reasons.

“Some people we serve may have a brain injury and maybe living here will be the only thing they’ll be able to do because they don’t have the capacity to live independently. Some people get stabilized…then they’re able to move forward and take the next step.”

She said the assignment of rooms will depend on the needs of the individual person coming into the facility.

Tenants of Samaritan Place are transitioning from the former Community Services Building at 285 Prideaux St.

BC Housing expects the former Community Services Building site will be demolished imminently to prepare for 51 new permanent supportive housing units to be operated by the John Howard Society.

702 Nicol St. is one of four purpose-built supportive housing projects to be built in Nanaimo following a memorandum of understanding struck in 2020 between BC Housing and the City of Nanaimo.

The supportive housing projects involve 190 homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with other future projects to be built at 355 Nicol St. and 250 Terminal Ave.

Future affordable rental housing was also included in the MOU at three sites, including a large Fifth St. property.

BC Housing currently has a lease in place until the end of 2023 at 2020 Labieux Rd. where the Newcastle Pl. temporary housing arrangement will remain until the various housing projects are completed.

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