A soft opening was planned for the shelter at 682 Gibsons Way on Tuesday, Jan. 19, according to BC Housing.
“The Salvation Army site will have five beds and is planning to soft open tonight,” senior communications advisor Matthew Borghese told Coast Reporter in a Jan. 19 email.
“The Salvation Army has begun reaching out to clients that access the food bank to let them know that the shelter is now open. We anticipate that the shelter will reach capacity supporting clients in the existing network,” he said.
Last week Sunshine Coast Salvation Army director Darrel Pilgrim said if demand exceeds those five beds, a possible larger space in Gibsons may be sought out.
In 2019, the temporary cold-weather shelter at the Marine Room in the Arts Building on South Fletcher Road accommodated up to 15 people.
Supportive housing
Another BC Housing project – the supportive housing complex at 749 School Rd. – is also edging closer to a soft opening, with residents expected to start moving in early February.
Borghese told Coast Reporter the aim is to secure an occupancy permit from the Town by the end of January.
Securing the permit allows RainCity Housing, which will operate the space, to start furnishing rooms, training staff and completing other move-in tasks, said Borghese.
“This will take several days and we anticipate the site will be ready for residents in February.”
Mayor Bill Beamish told Coast Reporter last week that construction was still underway, and the permit could be granted subject to completing tasks within the first month of occupancy.
“The interior may be ready to go, exterior may need some work,” such as landscaping, he said, “but I wouldn’t hold up putting people in place while we worry about whether or not the grass is sown.”
He also said the application process for a community advisory committee was underway with plans to hold the first meeting on Feb. 4.
He had also asked BC Housing for an opportunity for council and others to tour the facility prior to occupancy, “to take a lot of the mystique away from the building.”
“Active conversations” are also underway with both shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations to find a name for the building, as well as arrange a formal opening ceremony, said Beamish.
