A new crowdfunding campaign is calling on Victoria residents to help provide homeless people with safe, warm accommodation this winter.
A collaboration between Mayor Lisa Helps, the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and Aryze Developments, Hey Neighbour is on a mission to raise $500,000 to build 30 housing units.
The 160 square-foot units will be built out of repurposed shipping containers and include a bed, desk, hot plate, fridge, shared shower and washroom facilities and the potential for an outdoor shared kitchen.
“No one should be living in a park in the middle of a global health pandemic in a country as prosperous as Canada,” Helps said.
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The campaign is part of a motion the City of Victoria passed on Nov. 12 with the longer-term plan to “offer housing and indoor shelter with a path to permanent housing for everyone currently sheltered in city parks by March 31, 2021.”
The transition units will be a big step up from tenting in a park, Luke Mari, a partner at Aryze Developments, explained. They will offer a dry, heated space with power, a locking door and access to hygiene facilities.
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| A rendering of what the Hey Neighbour community could look like upon completion. (Courtesy of Aryze Developments) |
The Hey Neighbour community will also provide opportunities for residents to learn new skills and engage in social enterprise, like bicycle repair shops and community gardens.
Organizers said they have a few potential sites for the pilot project in mind, but haven’t settled on one yet.
In March, there were 1,523 homeless individuals in Greater Victoria according to the 2020 Point-in-Time Count. Organizers say this number should be treated as an under-estimate as some people choose not to participate in the survey and others are experiencing “hidden” homelessness.
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Anyone interested in donating can do so through the Canada Helps campaign at canadahelps.org. Aryze Developments has pledged to donate $1, up to $10,000, for every comment or share of their posts related to the Hey Neighbour campaign.
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