Pacifica Housing Advisory Association

Pacifica Housing provides over 1200 units of quality rental homes and supportive housing in Greater Victoria and Nanaimo, including some designated for people with disabilities.

Housing development, real estate rental agency, association / organization

Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territory (Victoria, B. C. ) – BC needs an immediate ban on weapons in supportive housing buildings province-wide and changes to Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) provisions to enable supportive housing operators to respond in case of weapons possession and violence, the announced today in Victoria.
"Low-barrier supportive housing providers have been clear that the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) is the wrong legislation for our sector, " says Carolina Ibarra, CEO of Pacifica Housing, one of Victoria’s largest supportive housing providers, and Vice Chair for Vancouver Island of SaSSH. "One of our many concerns is that we cannot deal effectively with weapons and violent behaviours under the current regulation. We are also deeply troubled about our inability to remove trespassers from the property, some of whom are known to have weapons and to be aggressive. We need support from the BC government to address these issues – and we need it now. "
In late April, a young father was found deceased in a unit at Waterview, a supportive housing building operated by Pacifica Housing in Victoria’s Burnside Gorge neighbourhood. The incident is being investigated as a suspected homicide. Ibarra says such incidents, which are preventable, take away from the positive impact of low-barrier supportive housing and feed negative narratives. Residents and staff at Waterview are deeply concerned and want action.

- Wheelchair-accessible car park
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance

To mark Homelessness Action Week, which runs from October 12 to 18th 2025, our 2024 Impact Report is now live! It’s a snapshot of what we built together across Greater Victoria and Nanaimo: new affordable homes, support services that help people stay housed, advocacy that strengthens systems, and investments in the people who make it possible.
Every page points to the same goal - equitable housing and support services that offer stability, independence, and the chance to thrive. Thank you to the residents and clients who shared their stories, to staff for your resilience and care, and to partners and funders for standing with us.

Across British Columbia, communities have worked hard-often against immense pressures-to expand housing options, strengthen supportive services, and respond with compassion and pragmatism to the needs of their most vulnerable residents. But a damaging myth also continues to circulate: that housing and shelter are the problem, rather than the solution, to homelessness and the street disorder so many communities are struggling with.
As we enter a season traditionally associated with reflection, generosity, and compassion for our neighbours, we are seeing the opposite take hold: temporary and transitional housing sites under threat of closure, and proposals for emergency resources-such as winter shelters-being rejected. Not because need has diminished. Not because permanent housing is available. But because of the mistaken belief that shutting down supportive housing will somehow solve the visible impacts of poverty, illness and the toxic drug crisis.