In Vancouver, nine per cent of youth experience homelessness every year. The Rights of Passage program, run by Covenant House Vancouver, provides vulnerable young adults with safe and affordable housing and support as they transition into independent living. Our National Special Services Group (SSG) team partnered with them to complete renovations to the 26,500 sq. ft., four-storey building so they could continue serving the community.
The project involved converting the facility from a youth shelter into transitional housing. Our SSG team converted the previous staff office spaces into residential units and renovated the other existing bachelor units into transitional living units, increasing capacity from 25 to 44. Construction included:
- Repurpose the main floor into a teaching kitchen for independent life skills, a gym, classroom, and lounge
- Replacing the shared laundry rooms and kitchens on the second floor
- Reconfigure common rooms on the second, third, and fourth floor with communal kitchens and lounge areas
- Install air conditioning complete with energy recovery ventilators (ERV)
- Install new storm and sanitary sewer connections.
The exterior of the building also received a fresh face with a pressure wash, painting the window frames, balcony guard rails and street canopy, updated illuminated signage, repointed brick, and refurbishing the heritage door and windows trims.
Rights of Passage will continue to support vulnerable youth with fully furnished private apartments, 24-hour support, daily meals made by the residents, individualized assistance from social workers, life skills education, and help with gaining and maintaining employment, education, and housing transitions.
