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A new facility to help the homeless in Victoria is drawing controversy again.
The North Park Community Group says the structure breaches several city regulations, including straddling two properties and violating the setback requirements.“There really is no mechanism in the zoning to allow for a structure to be built here and subsequently I found out it was built without a building permit,” neighbourhood resident Gary Streight and member of the group told Global News.The structure is attached to a facility on Dowler Place, near Bay and Blanshard streets, which was announced last summer.
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It has yet to open but has been met with resistance from neighbours over its location, with the latest issue being the new structure.The facility will be operated by Solid Outreach, which did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
Streight said he is concerned about drugs being consumed on the property.But in a statement earlier this week, Solid Outreach said that, “those using the site will already have gone through an intake program with a client agreement that includes commitments to the community, such as keeping noise levels down, not loitering near residential areas and keeping outdoor spaces clean.”The City of Victoria confirmed it is working with Solid to bring the structure into compliance, saying, “no permit will be issued for the exterior structure until it is deemed compliant by the chief building inspector.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
