In July 2020, the City of Duncan created temporary housing in the form of modular cabins for people who are unhoused, known as The Village.
Widely considered a successful model for low-barrier emergency housing because of its design and wraparound services, the City of Duncan has applied for funding to add six new sleeping cabins to The Village, increasing its capacity from 34 to 40 units. The city hopes to add communal spaces to the site for an on-site kitchen and gathering area for residents.
The neighbouring North Cowichan has also applied for funding to create two new Village sites and is currently evaluating various locations in the municipality for them.
“This turned out to be a health and wellness model. People feel safe, they feel cared about and they start focusing on their health,” City of Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples told The Discourse.
John Horn, North Cowichan’s social planning director, told The Discourse that in order to mitigate anticipated community pushback to the new Village sites in the municipality, “public engagement will be early and transparent.” The municipality will clearly define who the sites are for, how they will operate and what safety measures will be in place.
Why has The Village model worked?
The Village is a unique shelter because of its individual sleeping compartments that give the residents privacy, their own space that locks and an area to keep their belongings safe.
In addition to modular sleeping cabins, The Village also provides residents with on-site meals, laundry and showers as well as connection with support staff and health-care workers.
Social workers and outreach groups work with the residents by using effective interventions to help guide the residents into a more stable lifestyle.
“It’s warm, it’s safe and it’s already proven locally,” Staples told The Discourse in a recent interview.
The Village’s design also led to the creation of a peer network within the facility, Staples said. The cabins are in a “flower petal” configuration that allows for small groups of cabins to be arranged around the common areas.
According to Staples, both Duncan and North Cowichan are treating The Village as a housing project and a health response. On-site staff work to not only deescalate crises, but also to prevent them before they happen.
Residents of The Village are able to reconnect with family, follow medical treatment plans, explore different treatment/detox options and obtain assistance with acquiring identification and income.
“Once people stabilize, their health improves dramatically. You can literally see it — their skin, their eyes, their energy,” Staples said.
To be able to provide both shelter and wraparound supports such as health care, The Village relies on a collaborative structure that reduces siloing between dozens of organizations including Cowichan Tribes, Island Health, Lookout Housing and Health Society, Cowichan Community Action Team, RCMP, bylaw, harm reduction teams, peer workers and outreach teams.
Since residents moved into The Village five years ago, Staples said both police and bylaw officers in Duncan have reported fewer calls related to those who have moved in. There have also been fewer drop-in emergency room visits.
Duncan’s proposal to expand The Village
The province’s Emergency Treatment Fund (ETF) provides funding to help alleviate the overdose crisis through community-based treatments, recovery and stabilization options.
Duncan has applied for the fund for 2026, proposing six additional cabins at The Village (increasing its capacity to 40 residents), a new kitchen/dining area to provide meals and group programs, an area for skills training and community cohesion and units held for those working to reduce substance abuse — including those returning from treatment facilities, Staples said.
Research shows it is crucial for people in treatment to acquire stable housing immediately after discharge to lower the risk of relapsing. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, based in the U.S., lists stable housing as one of the four major dimensions that support recovery, alongside health, purpose and community.
While the existing Village setup is succeeding in providing housing, community and supports for individuals to improve their health and find purpose, Duncan’s pilot of this program hasn’t been without its challenges. Some of these challenges include having an off site kitchen, rather than one in house, and dealing with opposition from some community members.
To manage these barriers, Staples said the city hopes to add an additional structure to The Village for kitchen and dining space to offer on-site meals and a living room atmosphere. These communal spaces could also potentially host gatherings such as life skill lessons or community group meetings.
Adding more cabins at The Village will be helpful, but Staples said there need to be many more Village sites in the region to support growing numbers of unhoused community members. Some sites could also be specialized to support specialized populations, such as seniors or individuals who have just come out of substance use disorder treatment.
Populations who are deemed more stable, such as seniors, could potentially be placed in quieter or rural areas, Staples suggested.
“We need seven more Villages in the region … Probably nine now,” Staples said.
North Cowichan’s proposal
North Cowichan is in the early-stages of its development of The Village, Horn told The Discourse in an interview.
Municipal staff are working to evaluate options for up to two new sites in the municipality where they can create a similar layout to Duncan’s Village with modular housing, common gathering spaces, offices for social supports and laundry and shower facilities.
When asked why North Cowichan is working to replicate The Village, Horn said The Village is “already tested in Cowichan” and working. The modular cabins are faster and easier to deploy than permanent housing, while offering a stable space for people before they transition into long-term housing.
Without more temporary housing sites, the social systems in North Cowichan are unable to keep pace with the overdose crisis as well as mental health-related calls, Horn said.
How will North Cowichan’s Village sites be chosen?
According to Horn, North Cowichan municipal staff are evaluating potential Village sites based on a number of criteria. These include access to transit, utility readiness, proximity to social services, compatibility with surrounding land uses, emergency access and quiet areas for the residents to decompress.
Horn said he is unable to share which locations municipal staff have in mind at this time, as they have not been made public while municipal councillors review the options.
The sites will likely be temporary, leased from a suitable private property or city holdings for a span of three to five years, but “could become permanent if the model continues to work,” Horn said.
Rural locations for these sites would pose challenges, Horn explained. If The Village is isolated, fewer services are available nearby for residents to access. Other considerations with rural locations include limited transit availability, longer emergency response times, more difficulty staffing them, higher operating costs and risking feelings of isolation among residents.
North Cowichan Council has already reviewed the outcomes from Duncan’s Village site, toured similar modular projects and “directed staff to return with site options. Either from our own land holdings or market properties that might be suitable,” Horn said.
Additionally, Horn mentioned there are multiple municipal and private properties for sale that staff are assessing to determine serviceability, cost and compatibility.
How will North Cowichan address neighbourhood concerns?
In 2020, the City of Duncan faced significant opposition from the community when The Village was first built, Staples said. Thousands of community members signed petitions opposing The Village. These community members mentioned that they feared crime, noise and increased disorder in the urban areas of town, and that they hoped the site would be placed outside of city limits.
Staples said Duncan addressed community concerns with a number of measures, including a Community Advisory Committee, a phone line dedicated for complaints, daily neighbourhood walks, peer clean-up teams made up of Village residents and regular communication with nearby businesses.
By month three, complaints had dropped immensely, Staples said.
North Cowichan is anticipating similar concerns from residents. Horn said public engagement will be early and transparent. He said the municipality assures clear definitions as to who the sites are for, how they will operate and what safety measures will be in place.
“Not doing anything isn’t an option,” Staples said. “People deserve safety, whether they’re housed or unhoused.”
Both Staples and Horne acknowledged that while concerns from residents are inevitable, so are the consequences of inaction.
“At the end of the day, it’s about giving people a warm, safe, functional place to start rebuilding,” Horn said.
