CitySpaces Consulting Ltd. was engaged by The Bloom Group Community Services Society in 2013 as the Development Consultant and Project Manager for the Powell Place Women’s Shelter, which is located in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
The Shelter is undergoing an expansion to double year-round service from 26 beds to 52 beds and add a medical room for community care practitioners to provide assessments and treatments; space for skills enhancement programs and a commercial kitchen for women to gather to cook, eat, and learn new skills. A new entrance at the Powell Place Women’s Shelter will be created and a new elevator installed. The project will also include envelope remediation on the building, replacement of the current roof, and seismic upgrades where applicable.
The expansion will improve the current program and will provide women with shelter, counseling and learning opportunities to assist them in transitioning successfully to the next step of their journey.
The Powell Place Women’s Shelter will offer the following program features:
• 52 beds available 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
• 24 hour, onsite staffing;
• Health assessment and treatment facilities;
• Workshop and group space;
• Enclosed outdoor space and garden;
• Recreation areas;
• Commercial kitchen and eating areas;
• Shower and laundry facilities;
• Meals and snacks;
• “In-reach” workers to provide residents with one-on-one support, including facilitation of housing searches;
• Client-directed case planning and strengths-based capacity building;
• Referrals and advocacy;
• Crisis intervention;
• Provision of harm reduction supplies; and
• Accompaniments to appointments and community resources.
The estimated capital cost for the Powell Place Women’s Shelter is $4.3M. Funding is in place for the project from BC Housing, the City of Vancouver, the Federal Government, and through private donations.
Acting as the Owner’s representative for the Bloom Group, CitySpaces role has coordinated the selection process for the Design Team and the Construction Manager and undertook a lead role in the final stages of securing Federal funding for the project. CitySpaces will continue to act as Project Managers as the project moves through the process of design development; approvals form the City of Vancouver, tendering and construction.
Construction is slated to begin in late-fall 2013 and has an estimated duration of eight to ten months.
(rendering credit: NSDA Architects)