Regions React when Shelter is Required
Opening Mount Tolmie Shelter in Record Time
As the pandemic began to fully hit underserved communities, one of the creative options to find vitally needed space was to convert one of Island’s Health retirement homes (which had a long- planned closure this spring) into a temporary shelter. Enter Mount Tolmie. Located in Saanich, close to the University of Victoria, BCH had already identified this now unused facility as potential space that could be adapted to add to the desperately needed shelter stock. The maintenance team worked together with a DAS project technologist to open the shelter in amazingly short time (DAS’s usual degree of participation was limited because of travel restrictions). The conversion required a complete change of use. Temporary washrooms and showers were installed, and repairs completed on the building to make it habitable once again. Pop- up shelter pods created the necessary socially distanced spaces for those in need while reducing the risk of spreading the virus. New camera system and security enhancements were made, and the building upgraded to meet fire standards and safety codes. Within a month 47 new shelter spaces had been created. No one thought we could get it done and setup in a month, and there were moments we didn’t think it was going to happen. Since COVID, there have been many emergencies that required finding quick thinking. The teamwas successful in not only getting the renovations and supplies ready to open the shelter but doing it in record time so that the provider could open the space fully prepared.
Martin Smyth - Maintenance Manager, Vancouver Island
Operations 2021 – a year in review
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