VICTORIA – One of two former motels purchased by the City of Victoria in the summer of 2010 are still waiting to become a homeless shelter.

Construction at the former Traveller’s Inn on Queens Street is scheduled to begin next week. The work is expected to last the better part of a year. Once completed it will be a fully renovated homeless shelter.

“I could fill four buildings like this today if I had them. We desperately needed more housing, especially at the time when the city made the decision to purchase these properties,” says John Crean the Manager of Housing at Cool-Aid.

The other motel is far from being called a home. Located on Gorge Road East, the facility is in need of serious repairs.

The Native Friendship Centre says it has a long list of people waiting to move into the location but the city is still working out many of the details including funding. The Native Friendship Centre was appointed to become the future operators of the social housing unit.

The city is scheduled to receive a 1.8 million dollar forgivable loan from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation. In return, the city must agree to transform the two motels into affordable housing for 15 years.

It’s still unclear when renovations at the Gorge Road location will begin.

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