VANCOUVER - Women and children leaving violence will soon have access to more housing as construction starts on Sylvia's Place, a second-stage transition home in Vancouver.

"Sylvia's Place will give people in vulnerable situations a place they can turn to in a housing crisis, a safe space for women and children leaving violence," said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing. "These 10 homes will be instrumental in providing women and children with the safe housing options they need in times of crisis and on the path to healing."

The single-detached house known as Sylvia's Place features 10 units and will offer a second- stage program for women and gender-diverse people who have challenges with mental health and/or substance use, and who have experienced intimate-partner violence. It will include two separate homes with shared amenity spaces and services. There will be a commercial kitchen on site.

"Families experiencing intimate-partner violence will have additional options for a safe place to go and rebuild their lives in Vancouver," said Niki Sharma, MLA for Vancouver-Hastings. "Sylvia's Place is for women leaving violence and will support people who are experiencing addiction and mental-health issues to ensure people have the care they need to recover and move forward on the path to healing."

Residents will typically transition to this second-stage program from a nearby transition house, opening a new path to continue in recovery from trauma and substance use, and move towards living an independent life. Women and children at Sylvia's Place will benefit by accessing the support services from the nearby transition house.

"One of the most critical lifelines for survivors of violence is a place to land that is safe, affordable and stable," said Kelli Paddon, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity. "Sylvia's Place will support parents and their children so they can heal and rebuild their lives."

Construction is expected to be complete in late spring 2025.

"The Kettle Society is excited to manage this meaningful new second-stage housing program," said Janet Smith, director of housing at The Kettle Society. "Sylvia's Place fills a gap in the continuum of providing women with a safe and healing place to continue their road to recovery and independence."

Funding for Sylvia's Place is provided by the Province, through BC Housing, with a $5.5 million Women's Transition Housing Fund grant. This project is part of a $19-billion housing investment by the B.C. government. Since 2017, the Province has nearly 78,000 homes that have been delivered or are underway, including more than 7,600 homes in Vancouver.

Support for Silvia's Place furthers the ongoing work under Safe and Supported, B.C.'s gender- based violence action plan.

Learn More:

To learn more about government's new Homes for People action plan, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HOUS0019-000436

To learn about the steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for British Columbians, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/housing

For more information about Safe and Supported, B.C.'s gender-based violence action plan, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/services-policies-for- government/gender-equity/safe-and-supported-gender-based-violence-action-plan-december-2023.pdf