New supportive housing units a good investment

A new five-storey building has opened at 953 Balmoral St. with 56 units of supportive housing operated by the Cool Aid Society.

“We are very excited to have partnered with BC Housing to offer 56 brand new units of supportive housing at one of Cool Aid’s original sites,” Cool Aid CEO Elin Bjarnason said in a media release. “The building at 953 Balmoral is beautiful – both inside and out – and we know that people will be thrilled to call it home.”

Having homes for people is the cornerstone for safe communities, which enable businesses to create a vibrant, healthy economy that works for everyone. Chamber members have identified housing as an advocacy priority, and we continue to work to support the construction of more homes in our region. We also recognize that people experiencing homelessness often face mental health and addiction challenges and need housing with appropriate care.

“It should be common sense that everyone benefits when we invest in helping people to be part of our community and not become street entrenched,” Chamber CEO Bruce Williams said. “Our community partners at Victoria Cool Aid Society and BC Housing are doing some heavy lifting that will make life better for all of us.”