VICTORIA A pilot project that helps Greater Victoria renters who have fallen on hard times has been extended until March 2022, thanks to an injection of cash. The Greater Victoria Rent Bank has secured almost $200,000 in funding from the United Way of Greater Victoria and BC Rent Bank, a project funded by the provincial government. The rent bank program focuses on housing stability and homelessness prevention for low-to-moderate income renters in the Capital Region. The money will provide various support services that help to stabilize a person s housing, including financial assistance, understanding and accessing community supports and mediation between landlords and tenants, just to name a few.
Other work involves constructing additional shelter-bed spaces, common-area updates and general building maintenance. Due to the technical nature and size of the renovation, materials alone for the project are estimated to cost upwards of $200,000, double the typical renovation cost taken on by the organization. The renovation does not include the cost of replacing kitchen fixtures and appliances, which will be borne by the Salvation Army. HeroWork partners with up to 200 companies and more than 700 volunteers to work on infrastructure updates needed by non-profit organizations in what they call Radical Renovation projects. In the past decade, the group has completed $1 million of renovations for non-profits in the region.
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Mayor Maja Tait called donors’ generosity a “virtual hug for the community.”
“Sooke is a resilient community, with so much heart,” she said. “
As we look ahead to a new year, what a way to show heart with residents supporting each other through this campaign and contributions to the Sooke Food Bank.”
•To learn more about the Sooke Food Bank, go to foodbanksooke.org.
Find how how you can take action to help British Columbians living with dementia during Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, throughout January.
Hosted by the Alzheimer Society of B.C., the annual campaign invites Victoria residents to hear stories of people affected by the disease throughout the month.
The program, which started in 2019, supports families with a free renovation that improves the suitability of the home for a challenged family member. The Algar girls, Keira and Amelia, have Rett Syndrome, and are both non-mobile, requiring assistance with day-to-day activities, including eating and bathing. It had been getting more difficult and dangerous for their parents to lift them in and out of the bathtub and carry them up and down stairs, as they weigh nearly 40 pounds. The bathroom renovation will improve safety and functionality and allow the family to remain in their current home. Amanda Algar, the twins’ mother, says the renovation has made a huge difference.