A new homeless shelter is opening in Victoria, with funding coming from the B.C. government.

The new 34-space shelter is opening at 2920 Bridge St. in “spring 2026,” with the province providing three years of operating funding.

The shelter will be open 24 hours a day and is open by referral only to people aged 19 and older. 

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“Outreach staff will connect with people sheltering outdoors on Pandora Avenue, Ellice Street and other downtown areas, and refer them to the shelter when spaces are available,” said the province in a release Tuesday.

The new shelter, called the Bridge Street Pathways Shelter, is two-storeys tall and measures 6,000-square-feet. It’s fully fenced and the building is owned by the City of Victoria, which is also spending $700,000 throughout the next three years for building renovations and on operating costs.

The renovations, totalling about $250,000, include additional portable washrooms, shower facilities, a sleeping area, a day-use area and retrofitting office space for support programs.

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto anticipates the renovations will take a few more weeks to complete.

“It’s really important for us to acknowledge that the province has come on board with this, but we have been working on it for a very long time,” she told CHEK News on Tuesday.

Alto adds that the new shelter is part of Victoria’s Community Safety and Well-being Plan, which she says can be broken down largely into three categories: Intervention and prevention – destinations for people to go – and response and enforcement.

“So this is that piece in the middle,” she said. “It’s really important for us to think of this in a comprehensive way, so we’re not just relocating people – we’re giving them someplace to go, which is so important.”

The new shelter at 2920 Bridge St. is shown on Jan. 20, 2026. (CHEK News)

The new shelter will be operated and staffed 24/7 by non-profit organization Connective, and the city will contract a company for overnight security patrols.

Alto says the new shelter will help people progress through a “continuum of housing.”

“We always talk a little bit about positive flow. You take a step from the street into shelter, from the shelter into supportive housing, hopefully that support gradually lessens until eventually you’re in a place where you can live independent-style,” she said.

Christine Boyle, B.C.’s minister of housing and municipal affairs, says that being indoors can help people build confidence, develop healthy routines, and help them move forward towards longer-term housing.

“We’re making great strides in Victoria, working together with the city to help more people sheltering outside move indoors, building a safer, stronger community for everyone,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

“Shelter guests will have access to meals, showers, laundry, plus health and community supports.”

Provincial funding for the facility comes from the B.C. government’s Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and HEARTH programs.

Victoria is one of 11 municipalities that has signed on to the HEART and/or HEARTH programs, and this is the eighth HEARTH project to launch since Victoria signed on in February 2024.

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