New Developments

Timber Grove Apartments

Dunbar Apartments

337 Pender Street Apartments

Timber Grove Apartments is a three-storey supportive housing facility, in partnership with BC Housing and VANOC, located at 13922 - 101st Avenue on lands to be leased from the City of Surrey. The building provides safe, secure and supportive housing for individuals who are homeless or at-risk-of-homelessness, and includea 52 studio apartments, and staff on site 24 hours a day/seven days a week. Timber Grove ia operated by Coast Mental Health.

Timber Grove is NOT:

• A shelter or a place to house transient individuals – it is long term housing. Most tenants will likely stay more than two years.
• A drop-in – It is an apartment building. A range of services will be available for the 52 tenants to help them be successful in their lives.
• A treatment facility – It is a housing program. Many tenants will likely need support from Fraser Health for mental health or other health concerns. Coast’s role will be to help tenants make and maintain successful connections with such agencies.
• A high-risk, low-barrier housing facility – Coast has operated supported housing for 35 years. These buildings quickly become invisible in the community, as tenants settle into healthy routines and get on with their lives. Because of the support on site, staff is able to intervene if problems emerge to ensure tenants get the help they need.
• A chaotic or noisy environment – Coast’s facilities are very peaceful. Tenants all know one another and strive to support each other.

Coast will manage the 52-unit apartment building in a manner that will exemplify its mission and values, and enhance the neighbourhood. Features of the proposed development include:

• 3-storey building
• 52 small studio apartments, approximately 350 SF
• Kitchen and dining room to serve all residents
• Administration and support facilities

Support Services at Timber Grove Apartment

• Meal Program
• Peer Support Program
• Employment Preparation and Placement
• Tenant participation in building and grounds management and maintenance
• Tenant engagement in a recovery plan
• Clean Start Program
• Case Management
• Medication Management Assistance

Anticipated Residents:

• Tenants will be men and women who are, or are at-risk-of-homelessness.
• Referrals will be through BC Housing’s Supported Housing Registry
• Some tenants will have mental illness, and may have a history of substance of abuse.
• All tenants will be assessed by BC Housing, and then by Coast, to determine their ability to live independently with support.
• All tenants will sign a Residential Tenancy Agreement, as well as the Crime Free Addendum, which is a covenant to refrain from illegal activity in or around the building.

Staffing & Security:

• The facility will be monitored constantly, with staff on-site 24/7 to support tenant issues as they may arise.
• Property management staff will take care of building, equipment and common area maintenance.
• Cameras will be utilized to monitor activities in common areas. Crime-free design features will be included to assure inside and outside areas are safe for tenants and the community.
• Door locks will be electronically controlled through key fobs, restricting access to tenants and guests.

Links for More Information

• Province and VANOC partner to house the homeless in BC
• Britco to Build Accommodations for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games
• BC Housing: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness

Timber Grove Community Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

• CAC Minutes - May 20, 2010
• CAC Minutes - September 21, 2010
• CAC Minutes - August 09, 2011
• CAC Minutes - October 25, 2011

Learn more about the work being done by the Province and Non-Profit Organizations like ours to support the homeless and homeless at risk by visiting the Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness website.

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Dunbar Apartments

Coast Mental Health will provide a combination of housing and support services at 3595 West 17^th Avenue. Tenants will be selected through a referral system set up by BC Housing, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and Coast. Priority will be given to low-income people, people with disabilities and individuals with mental health issues, who currently reside in the Dunbar, West Point Grey and Kitsilano areas, or who origins were these communities.

Coast will manage the 51-unit apartment building in a manner that will exemplify our mission and values and enhance the neighbourhood. The building is designed as a “green building” to LEED Gold standards. There will be two operating partners on this project, St. Georges Place Society and Yaffa Housing Society. Features of this proposed development include:

• Approximate 4,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space owned by the City of Vancouver who in turn will lease the Commercial/Retail Units (CRU’s) to retail business operators
• 47 small self-contained studio residential units of approximately 350 +/- SF in size
• 4 wheelchair accessible units of approximately 510 SF
• Various amenities including a kitchen, a small kosher kitchenette, a lounge, meeting rooms, offices and other spaces designed to serve the residents’ program and leisure needs

Coast will operate within a framework of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery, which is congruent with best practices in housing services delivery. The program will include:

1. Meal Program
2. Group Programs
3. Community Based Programs
4. Assistance with Medication
5. Peer Support Programs
6. Volunteer Programs
7. Life Skills Programs
8. Clean Start
9. Employment Preparation & Support

FLOOR PLANS

• Floor 1
• Floor 2
• Floor 3
• Floor 4
• Elevation South
• Elevation North
• Elevation East
• Elevation West
  

Links for More Information

• Coast Mental Health Press Release - November 10, 2008
• BC Housing Press Release
• Dunbar Residents Association
• City of Vancouver - 12 Sites for Supportive & Social Housing in Vancouver

Dunbar Community Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes

• CAC Minutes - April 16, 2009
• CAC Minutes - November 19, 2009
• CAC Minutes - April 20, 2010
• CAC Minutes - September 20, 2010
• CAC Minutes - March 23, 2011
• CAC Minutes - June 09, 2011
• CAC Minutes - October 06, 2011

337 Pender Street Apartments

337 Pender Street Apartments is a 9 storey supported housing building with 96 resident units. Coast Mental Health intends to operate this building in a manner that will exemplify its mission and values and enhance the neighborhood.

Two floors have restricted access and enhanced amenity areas to give a greater sense of security to the following residents:

• One floor are for young adults aged 19 to 25 coming from youth serving agencies

• One floor is for women only

Coast will provide safe, secure and stable housing to program participants.  Support services will be provided on site or off-site as appropriate.  Each resident will develop an individualized support plan with their support worker on entry to the project.  Staff will work with each resident to ensure that they have every opportunity to succeed in attaining their goals.

Coast offers many programs that will be available to the participants, including life skills training, structured volunteer work, employment in social enterprises and access to educational opportunities.  Staff will connect residents to various partner organizations and community resources and advocate for them.

It is intended that the building will house residents with a mixture of needs to increase the opportunity for a safe community.  It is anticipated that all residents will have mental health services need to some degree.

The 6 units on the main floor are set aside for higher need individuals requiring enhanced supervision.  Several of the units are wheelchair accessible and it is expected that individuals in wheelchairs will be able to fully participate in the building’s programs.

The Building

The building will be built to LEED Gold standard that will significantly reduce its energy consumption, carbon footprint and other operational costs.

The project is a 9 storey mixed use building.  The ground floor will have retail space and amenity space throughout the building including a kitchen to serve meals to residents and a dining area.  The second floor includes multipurpose rooms for meetings, computers and television.

The 96 residences provide much-needed highly livable, affordable housing with a priority given to individuals who live or have connections to the Downtown neighborhoods that would otherwise be homeless, at risk of homelessness or live in substandard housing.

Staffing and Support Services

A staffing plan has been developed in writing that reflects the high level of support that will be given to residents of 337 Pender Street Apartments. The building will have staff on duty at all hours of the day, seven days a week.

The following staff positions are planned:

• Manager
• Program Coordinator
• Community Mental Health Workers
• Cook
• Custodial/Janitorial