View Royal Council voted Tuesday to allow a transitional home set up for former residents of Victoria’s tent city to stay open until the end of 2017.
The Choices facility opened in the former youth custody centre on Talcott Road last February and is operated by Our Place.
B.C. Housing was asking to extend a temporary use permit for the facility.
Council approved the request following a public hearing on Tuesday night by a vote of 4-1.
Some had expressed concerns about the number of times police were called to the facility since it opened.
There were also accusations that staff aren’t properly trained to handle potentially volatile clientele.
Council responded by imposing a number of new conditions.
They include:
The total number of residents does not exceed 50 and they all must be accommodated indoors.
The facility does not accept new residents after September 15th, 2017 and must be vacant on December 31st, 2017.
Security personnel must be available on and off site between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. seven days a week and must conduct patrols
Council may revoke the permit if the number of times the RCMP is called to the facility is deemed to be unacceptable.
“We’re grateful to the town of View Royal, to mayor and council, for approving this temporary use permit,” said Don Evans of Our Place.
“We’re happy to know the residents have a secure place until the end of the year.”
Evans says that between now and then they’ll be working to make sure Choices residents find permanent housing.
So far, 45 of 138 people who have come through the facility have been successful in that search.
B.C. housing also revealed that the agency has purchased another property in Greater Victoria that will be used for transitional housing in the future.
More details are expected to be provided later this week.
Ben O'Hara
