The province has announced it is working with the City of Victoria and other advocacy groups to build new modular housing for homeless Indigenous women.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing says each of the planned 21 homes will include a bathroom and kitchen and will have 24/7 on-site staff support.
The temporary housing will be in place for around five years on the 800 block of Hillside Avenue ? as part of the Evergreen Terrace complex.
“Indigenous women are more likely than other women in Canada to experience both violence and homelessness,” said Victoria mayor Lisa Helps in a release.
“This housing at Evergreen Terrace provides the opportunity to interrupt those trends, and bring culturally responsive, safe, and affordable stability to the lives of Indigenous women in Victoria, while building community.”
Other services the project will provide are:
- A daily meal services
- employment training
- culturally specific and life-skills programming
- Health and wellness services, including mental health and addictions treatment
- A shared amenity space and access to laundry facilities
- Custodial and maintenance services
The Atira Women’s Resource Society and the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness are the other two groups in the project.
“Indigenous women are the strength of their communities, families and culture, but for too long they have also been victims of violence, homelessness and poverty,” said Scott Fraser, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation in a release.
Construction for the $3 million project is anticipated to begin this fall and is aimed to be completed by March 2019.
The Evergreen Terrace complex on the 800-block of Hillside Avenue
Julian Kolsut
