Street Survival Guide (victoriahomelessness.ca)

Community resources for support during COVID-19, shared by Dorothea from the First Peoples House and compiled by Sonja Yli-Kahila, coordinator of the Food share network.

The following is retrieved from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness website, and we give all credit to their community for compiling these resources. Please see their site for more resources.

• Our Place Seasonal Shelter
  First Met United Church,
  932 Balmoral Ave
  250-388-7112
  7:30pm-6:30am
  Inquire at 919 Pandora front desk

• Cool Aid Temporary Shelter
  755 Pandora Ave
  250-383-1951
  Nov 1 – Mar 31 nightly
  9pm (lights out at 10) to 6:30am
  (wakeup at 6)

• Extreme Weather Response (EWR)
  TBD

The following is retrieved from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness website, and we give all credit to their community for compiling these resources. Please see their site for more resources.

• Out of the Rain Youth Shelter
  Shelter locations change
  250-415-3856 Youth 15-25
  Oct 15 to Apr 15 9pm-8am
  Pets allowed (refer to schedule to confirm) outoftherainvictoria.ca

• Kiwanis Emergency Shelter
  2117 Vancouver St
  250-386-8282
  Youth 13-18
  Counsellors, meals, laundry & hygiene supplies. Youth & family mediation available. Open 24/7

The following is retrieved from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness website, and we give all credit to their community for compiling these resources. Please see their site for more resources. Additional information can be found at BC211 by clicking on the topic ‘homelessness’; you can view their full list (PDF) of Victoria Shelters here.

Arbutus (PHS Community Services Society)

Phone Number: 250-360-0093

Location: 2915 Douglas St. Victoria BC V8T 4M8

Service Description: The Arbutus Shelter is staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week to help address the ongoing need for day-time resources by those experiencing homelessness. The shelter offers three meals a day, co-ed and women’s (trans-inclusive) sections, and emergency mats for additional shelter when available. The shelter is accessible for people with mobility needs.

My Place (Our Place)

Phone Number: 778-265-0809

Location: 1240 Yates St

Service Description: 24/7 transitional home. Waitlist now open, an application form must be completed by a health/social service agency worker and signed by the person asking to be put on the waitlist, email beckyc@ourplacesociety.com for a copy of the form.

Our Place Shelter at First Metropolitan United Church

Phone Number: 250-388-7112, ext 222.

Location: 932 Balmoral Rd Service

Description: Overnight shelter site with mats on the floor. Open 7:30 PM to 7 AM only. Sign Up: Sign up for the waitlist for a mat between 7:00 am and 8:30 pm. Sign up directly by using the intercom at 919 Pandora, or if you have a worker they can sign you up by calling the Our Place front desk (250-388-7112, will need to give your first and last name). Check-in: 8:00 – 8:30 PM, anyone who has been assigned a mat should have checked in.

NO storage for belongings – keep your belongings with you at your mat overnight.

Next Steps Transitional Shelter (Victoria Cool Aid Society)

Phone Number: 250-381-2159 Location: 2317 Dowler Pl, Victoria

Service Description: Next Steps Transitional Shelter provides a more home-like environment for shelter guests making progress to get their lives back on track. Cool Aid’s staff help tenants find permanent homes and employment, learn financial and life skills, provide mentorship, and provide physical and mental health care. Referrals: Contact Next Steps to request intake form. Referral must come from an agency, no self-referrals.

Rock Bay Landing (Victoria Cool Aid Society)

Phone Number: 250-383-1951

Location: 535 Ellice Street

Service Descriptions: Provides men and women with storage, showers, laundry, computers, meals, and rooms for group work, education & counseling. We offer 84 shelter beds + 23 transitional rooms for residents working to be permanently housed. Sign up: Call the shelter or ring the front door buzzer in the morning to ask if there are available spaces and put your name on a list.

Salvation Army ARC

Phone Number: 250-384-3396

Location: Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC), 525 Johnson Street

Service Description: Offers 21 temporary beds and 78 transitional housing beds and support services, including drug and alcohol recovery, for men. Not wheelchair accessible. Sign Up: Call or buzz the front door to speak with a caseworker from Monday – Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM.

WOMEN SHELTERS

Sandy Merriman House (Victoria Cool Aid Society)

Phone Number: 250-480-1408

Location: 809 Burdett Avenue

Service Description: Emergency shelter for 25 women who are homeless. Inclusive definition of “woman” & “female”, welcome to trans women, gender fluid and non-binary people. Guests receive safe shelter, meals, laundry & showers, support, referrals, and advocacy, plus essentials including menstrual supplies, harm reduction and clothing.

Victoria Women’s Transition House

Phone Number: 24/7 Transition House Crisis Line, 250-385-6611

Service Description: Safe and supportive accommodation for up to 30 days for women with or without children, who are currently experiencing intimate partner violence and abuse. Sign Up: Access by calling the 24/7 Transition House Crisis Line found above.

The following is retrieved from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness website. For their daily listings please see click here and choose the "meals" catagory.

Below is a list of all free meals in the Greater Victoria area:

• Rainbow Kitchen
  500 Admirals Rd
  250-384-2069
  Meals are M-F first come, first serve. Christmas meal Dec 25.
  Bread and produce based on availability

• Our Place
  919 Pandora Ave
  250-388-7112
  Breakfast: 7-8am Lunch: 12-1pm
  Dinner: 5-6pm. 7 days a week
  Stat holiday meals vary

• Mustard Seed
  625 Queens Ave
  250-953-1575
  Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30am-12:30pm
  Coffee & afternoon programs.
  Street Cafe: Fri 6:30pm call to reserve.
  Agape Dinner: Sat 5pm, no reservation.
  Family Dinner 2nd & 3rd Sun of each month. Call to confirm attendance 250-220-6992

• Anawim House
  973 Caledonia Ave
  250-382-0283
  Breakfast: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat 10am
  Lunch: Mon,Tue,Thu,Fri, Sign-up 10-11am.
  Dinner: Wed & Fri, sign up by 2pm.
  For people abstinent from substances.

• Food Not Bombs
  950 Kings Rd
  Centennial Square, Sun 4pm
  Vegan, home cooked meal

• Rock Bay Landing 535 Ellice St
  250-383-1951
  Sat & Mon 3:30pm tickets for non-residents. 50 tickets only

• Salvation Army ARC
  525 Johnson St
  250-384-3396
  Lunch: Mon Wed Fri: 11:45-12:30pm
  Coffee and Donuts: Tues 10:30am

• The Soup Kitchen
  St Andrew’s, 740 View St
  778-440-7687
  Breakfast: Mon-Fri 8-10am. Open all stats except Christmas Day.

• Sandy Merriman
  809 Burdett Ave
  250-480-1408
  Lunch: Drop In Program/7 Days, 11:30-2pm. For women at risk/
  experiencing homelessness, including trans women, gender fluid & non-binary people

• Peers
  1-744 Fairview Rd, Esquimalt
  250-382-3213
  Lunch: For current and former sex workers only, Mon-Thur 12:30pm

• Saturday Street Breakfast:
  1st Sat: Our Place, 919 Pandora, 8:30am
  3rd Sat: Glad Tidings, 1800 Quadra St, 250-384-7633, 8:30-10:30am
  4th Sat: Our Place, 919 Pandora 8:30am
  5th Sat: Our Place, 919 Pandora 8:15am

The following is retrieved from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness website, and we give all credit to their community for compiling these resources. Please see their site for more resources.

Below is a list of all Food Banks in the Greater Victoria area:

• Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Social Concerns Office
  833 Yates St
  250-727-0007
  Mon-Fri 11am-2:30pm

• Salvation Army Stan Hagen Centre
  2695 Quadra St
  250-386-8521
  Mon-Fri 9-11:45am & 1-4:15pm. Emergency hamper 3x per year

• St John the Divine
  1611 Quadra St
  250-383-7169
  Tues & Fri 10-noon.
  Closed the week after cheque issue – One food hamper per month.

• Mustard Seed
  625 Queens Ave
  250-953-1588
  Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Everyone welcome. ID required. Walk-in or by appointment.
  Note: Every 1st and 2nd Friday of the month is by appointment only and is from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Book appointments 1 to 2 days ahead.

• Living Edge
  Fresh Food Distribution:
  250-383-8915
  Monday 2:30-3:45 p.m. UVic Family Circle – 2375 Lam Circle
  Monday 5- 6 p.m. Central Baptist Church – 833 Pandora Ave., Victoria
  Tuesday 4:30-6 p.m. Gateway Baptist Church – 898 Royal Oak Ave., Victoria
  Thursday 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Quadra Village Community Centre – 901 Kings Rd., Victoria
  Thursday 5:30-6:30 p.m. Saanich Baptist Church – 7577 Wallace Dr., Victoria
  Friday 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Open Gate Church – 679 Goldstream Ave., Langford
  Saturday 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Harbourview Church – 511 Constance Ave., Esquimalt
  For more information on Living Edge click here: https://livingedge.ngo/neighbourhood-market/

• Island Health:

  • ​Nutrition Services

  • Outpatient Nutrition Services

​

• ​Healthlink BC

  • ​Dietary Recommendations

    • ​Healthy eating For Disease Prevention

    • General Food and Nutrition Information

  • Nutrition Benefits Programs

  • Eating on a Budget

  • Dietician Services (Call 8-1-1, or 7-1-1 for the hearing impaired)

    • Eating & Activity Programs for kids

    • ​Pediatric support

    • Oncology Nutrition

    • Allergy Nutrition

• Diabetes Victoria

  • ​Supermarket Tours

  • Carbohydrate Counting

The following is retrieved from the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness website, and we give all credit to their community for compiling these resources. Please see their site for more resources.

Youth Health

• Foundry Victoria Youth Clinic
  818 Douglas St. (3rd Floor)
  Outreach: 250-818-6361
  Clinic: 250 383-3552 .
  Mon-Thurs 11-5pm, Fri 11-4pm
  Walk in primary health care, sexual health, mental health and substance use, counselling support/ care, lab and outreach services. Youth 12-24.
  No CareCard needed.

Youth Housing & Shelter

• Out of the Rain
  Youth Shelter
  Changing locations.
  250-415-3856
  Youth 15-25. Oct 15 to Apr 15. 9pm-8am. Pets allowed. www.outoftherainvictoria.ca

• Kiwanis Emergency Youth Shelter
  2117 Vancouver St
  250-386-8282
  Youth 13-18. Counsellors, meals, laundry and hygiene supplies. Youth and family mediation available. Open 24/7.

• Threshold Youth Housing
  Call 250-383-8830 or visit:
  www.thresholdhousing.ca
  Youth 16-22

Youth Support

• Victoria Youth Empowerment Society
  533 Yates St
  250-383-3514
  Youth 13-19.
  Daytime Drop-in: 9-5pm. Showers, laundry, clothing and internet. Access to youth detox, outreach team, mental health liaison counselor, life skills and independent living program.
  Alliance Club: drop-in Mon-Thur 12:30pm-7:30pm with dinner served & Friday 12:30-2:30pm.

• Burnside Gorge Community Association
  471 Cecelia Rd
  Family services: 250-388-5251

• Sanctuary Youth Drop-In
  767 Humboldt St (church basement)
  250-385-6255
  For youth under 22 (we check for ID). Friday, Saturday, Sunday 3pm-6pm.
  Warm meals, showers, laundry and more. www.sanctuaryyouth.ca

• Boys and Girls Club
  301-1195 Esquimalt Rd
  250-384-9133
  Mon-Thur 8:30-4:30pm. Fri 8:30-1pm.

• Victoria Native
  Friendship Centre
  231 Regina Ave
  250-384-3211
  Youth Drop-In: Tues-Thur 4-8pm.
  Fri 2-8pm. Youth support workers, youth addictions and youth and family counsellors available.

• 24/7 CRISIS LINE
  1-888-494-3888

Youth Substance Use Services

• Umbrella Society
  901 Kings Rd
  250-380-0595
  Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30pm
  Addiction and mental health

• AVI Youth
  Harm Reduction Training Series January - March
  One-on-One support, youth outreach educator, referral and health systems navigation support

Queer Youth Sex Education

• AVI Queer Sex Ed for Youth
  queersexedworkshops@gmail.com

Much of the following has previously been presented in the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness Street Survival Guide, and we give credit to their community for compiling these resources. Please see their website for more resources. See the Substance Use and Recovery Services (Divisions BC) here.

AIDS Vancouver Island

713 Johnson St (3rd Floor)

250-889-0268

Daily 3-10pm

Mobile:

250-896-AVIX (2849)

Wed-Fri 12-4pm

Naloxone, overdose prevention, safer drug use supplies, safer sex supplies, peer support, nursing care, harm reduction counselling, and referrals

AVI Westshore Health Centre:

#111-2787 Jacklin Road, Langford

250-940-3605

Mon 1:30-6:30pm

Tues & Thurs 9:30am-4:00pm

Opioid substitution services (methadone and suboxone) in a low barrier setting

PACIFICA Downtown Outreach Services

826 Cormorant St

250-356-2555

Mon, Tues, Thur, Fri 8:30am-12 & 1-4:30pm. Wed 1-4:30pm

Daily Dose Society

820 Cormorant St

250-800-0569

Supply distribution, Naloxone program, substitution drug therapies support, outreach & education to encourage harm reduction behaviors (adults & teens)

SOLID

1139 Yates St

250-298-9497

Mon-Fri 1-3pm.

Peer support and safer substance use information.

Outreach Downtown: Every morning 7:30-9:30am. Tues Sat 5:30-7:30pm

Women’s Night: 6-8pm, last Mon of the month

Indigenous Women’s Action Group: Every Tues 3-4pm Women’s

HepC Group: Every Thursday 11am - noon. Open to all people who use(d) illicit drugs.

Naloxone Training (drop-in): Wednesday 1-3pm

Peers Night Outreach: at Government & Discovery, & on Rock Bay Ave 250-744-0171 Nightly 7pm-11pm Drop-In Centre: 1-744 Fairview Rd 250-388-5325 Mon-Thur 11-2:30pm Sobering & Assessment Centre 1125 Pembroke St 250-213-4444 Open 24/7

The Harbour

941 Pandora Ave

Consumption booths, post-use areas, counselling, medical help, naloxone kits, education & support

6:30 am - 8 pm 7 days a week

Rock Bay Landing (Cool Aid)

535 Ellice Street

Public Hours: 8 am-6 pm Residents: 7 am - 9 pm 7 days a week

• BCalm - Living Mindfully. The British Columbia Association for Living Mindfully (BCALM) is a “non profit society dedicated to facilitating increased mindfulness and reduced stress in homes, schools and workplaces throughout BC”, centred in VIctoria BC. They offer workshops, presentations and courses, as well as resources online. These resources offer meditations, tools and more. See their website for more info and contact.

• Art of Dialogue- Mindfulness at Work. This organization offers programs to “mobilize your own inner resources for learning, growing and healing”. They offer retreats and talks, as well as workshops at UVic for mindfulness and leadership training. See their contact page for more info.

• Island Health - Outpatient Treatment for Mental Health. Island Health offers support for mental health, and for Urgent Short Term Assessment and Treatment (USTAT). For Victoria, call 250.519-3544

• womenMD - Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). This Victoria-based Integrative Lifestyle Medicine Centre offers Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction programs, as well as cognitive therapy and mindful eating centered programs. See their list of programs, or contact 250-940-6010 for more info.

• Yoga. Practicing yoga may be an effective strategy for reducing stress (Maddux, Daukantaité, & Tellhed. 2018). As a low-barrier alternative to expensive yoga classes, there are a few studios in Victoria that offer work trade programs, where patrons can volunteer at the studio in exchange for yoga membership. FoundCity Yoga offers a “Karma Cleaners” program, and The Yoga Lab offers an “Ambassador Program” for accessible pricing on yoga classes.

• Capital Regional District (CRD Regional Parks)

• City of Victoria Recreation Services

• Esquimalt Parks & Recreation

• Panorama Recreation

• Recreation Oak Bay

• Saanich Parks & Recreation

• Sooke & Electoral Area Parks and Recreation Commission (SEAPARC)

• West Shore Parks & Recreation

• YMCA-YWCA of Greater Victoria

• Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence: Adapted Programs

• Tall Tree Integrated Health Center: Senior Fitness

• MOVE Adapted Fitness & Rehabilitation

• Shelbourne Physiotherapy: Pilates & Rehab Studio

• Free and Low-Cost Community Health & Exercise Resources For Arthritis

• Syngergy: Exercise Rehabilitation

SAN’YAS ANTI-RACISM INDIGENOUS CULTURAL SAFETY TRAINING PROGRAM

It's Our Backyard Too: Building Community-Centered Support for Harm Reduction (NHRC)

MHSU Addictions Care & Treatment (BCCSU)

Physicians Guide to Culturally Competent Care

Engaging People Who Use Drugs

How to Provide Antiracist Mental Health Care

Understanding Stigma (CAMH)

Black Lives Matter Resources