Transition House for Men (Grandma's House)

·         Transition house for men run by Victoria Human Exchange Society (VHES).

·         Drug and alcohol free.

·         Building new foundations for the building and adding more rooms and better storage facilities to the main house.

In 2007, directly after receiving charitable status, The Land Bank bought a house to replace the transition house that VHES had previously run, and which they had to move out of when the building was sold. The new building needed minor renovations: a play room was turned into a fourth bedroom, and smoke detectors were added. Within weeks the renovations were finished and all the men had moved into their new home.

In 2011 it became apparent that the basement was no longer adequate to meet the needs of the house. The basement at the time was little more than a crawl space; it had a dirt floor and was built in such a way that, in the winter, water flowed through freely. It was in-ideal for storage, and, though frustratingly empty, it was impossible to meet the growing need of the community by housing another tenant in the space. The Land Bank applied for a grant to replace the foundations, brought the house down the hill to a new site, and raised it to allow a series of new rooms to be added underneath the original building. While the building was being lifted, thermopane windows and fresh insulation were added to the original structure, and a wall was moved so that the bedrooms which it separated were of a more equitable size. The top rooms of the building are up and running again, while the new rooms in the bottom are in the process of being finished. The basement is made of quad-lock for extra insulation, will have a heated and coloured concrete floor, and will be a flexible space that can transform into rooming units or suites with adjustable numbers of bedrooms. The Land Bank has just received a grant from the Salt Spring Foundation to pour and colour the floor and would like to extend many thanks for the support.