A fundraising campaign looking to get people sleeping in tents on the Royal Athletic Park parking lot into warm dry accommodation has received good news, courtesy of an anonymous donor.

The Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness, whose crowdfunding efforts are raising money to build the units from recycled shipping containers, received an anonymous donation from someone who promised to match further donations until the project reaches its $500,000 goal.

The coalition is partnered in its Hey Neighbour project with builder Aryze Developments. Aryze was approved by Victoria city council last week to apply for a temporary use permit to build up to 30 units on the parking lot site.

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“The compassion of our community has been heart-warming to witness; since launching this campaign we have seen the citizens of Victoria come together to support housing for those who need it most,” said Kelly Roth, executive director of the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness in a release.

As of Monday the campaign had raised enough to build 17 tiny homes, approximately $280,000. The city is looking to get the project in place and operating by March 31, its deadline for getting all homeless individuals sheltering in parks into housing.

To donate or learn more about the fundraiser, visit canadahelps.org.

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