The Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness would like to see a tiny home village, similar to the one in Duncan in this photograph, established in the Oceanside area with capacity for 20-24 tiny homes. Photo courtesy of the City of Duncan.

The Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness is looking for land to create a village of tiny homes for people who are experiencing homelessness in the area.

A tiny home village with 20-24 units could open as early as late fall should municipalities in the area provide the necessary half acre of land for it.

The Island Crisis Care Society is willing to operate the project which could include 24-hour staffing and substance and mental health support for residents.

Violet Hayes, executive director of the Island Crisis Care Society, said that a trip to see a tiny home village in Duncan, which was established in 2020, prompted them to propose bringing the idea to other parts of Vancouver Island. I spoke with her over the phone about the plan.

“A few of us went down there to have a look and we were very impressed with what we saw. So we thought this would be a really good temporary option until there's something more permanent in place in the Oceanside area.”

In July, a motion at Parksville city council for staff to identify possible land in the city for the project was deferred until the task force presented it to Qualicum Beach council on Thursday.

The next step for the Oceanside Task Force on Homelessness is to present the idea to the Regional District of Nanaimo’s board meeting on Tuesday.

Hayes pitched Qualicum Beach council on the idea, but the Mayor said any decision would have to come back to a future council meeting.

Hayes said that a tiny home village would help provide a stepping stone from living on the street to supportive and market housing.

“What we do find is that often bringing people right from the streets into somewhere like Orca Place, it's just too much of a change.” she said.

“Whereas if you've got this interim piece, it really helps to build people skills and get them ready for that next step.”

Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples said the idea for the village in her city came from people who were living on the street.

“One of the things that peers brought up was they just needed a place to have a tent, ”she said. “And to not have too many people living together because not everybody gets along.”

Staples said that the city was rejected for funding from BC Housing at the time, but that changed when Covid hit and the province was looking for ways to safely shelter people who were experiencing homelessness.

“When Covid hit, we already had a model that the peers said would work,” said Staples. “We had an opportunity because of the pandemic to actually test it out.”

Staples suggests mayors and councillors in other cities who are considering a similar project come and see the Duncan tiny home village firsthand.

“Come and visit the site here, talk to the people who are living there, talk to the operators of the site, learn from what we've learned, and then take that back to your community and build what you build what will work for you,” she said.

Staples said that the village has been a success in housing a population that often doesn’t do well in other types of more institutional-style housing.

“What we've learned is for really vulnerable people, that this site is a first step from being on the street, to getting stabilized,” she said. “This is a key step for people to be successful to be able to prepare for their next step in life, whatever that looks like.”

While the plot of land the village is on is only available for a fixed period, Staples would like to eventually see the village relocated to another location in the city.

“We would like to move it and establish it as a permanent transitional site,” she said.

Hayes said that a similar site in Oceanside would benefit the people who live there as well as the broader community.

“Everyone has a right to have a home,” she said. “I think if we can do something in the short term that gives people some dignity and a place to call their own, off of the streets and being able to move forward, I think we should be doing it.”

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.