Press release
Cambie Gardens apartments welcome first individuals
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has reached an important milestone as 44 individuals will move into the first community-based supported housing apartments at Cambie Gardens in South Vancouver starting on October 5, 2022. An additional 70 will move into community housing in the coming years.
Community-based supported housing models are designed to support individuals to live as independently as they choose with a focus on integrating into community. All 44 individuals who are moving into Cambie Gardens currently reside at George Pearson Centre (GPC). This new model of care in an apartment environment with supports allows individuals to live more independently.
George Pearson Centre's residents will move into their new homes in phases. As new housing is built, the remaining residents at GPC will have the opportunity to move into community-based supported housing models like those at the Cambie Gardens development or to another long-term care home of their choice. The moves are anticipated to be complete in approximately 2030 when GPC will then be closed.
A new pool, as well as a community health centre, will be built during the second phase of the GPC redevelopment, which is anticipated in 2025.
The project is guided by more than a decade of consultation with residents, their families, community advocates, disability associations and the City of Vancouver. Working together, a dream of a new model of care in community housing with a person-centred approach that supports individuals to lead full and empowered lives is coming to life.
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is committed to delivering exceptional care for all 1.2 million people within the ancestral, traditional and unceded homelands of 14 First Nations. With more than 26,000 staff and medical staff, VCH is British Columbia's hub of health-care innovation, research and academic excellence, providing specialized care to patients throughout the province. Learn more at vch.ca.