State-of-the-art long-term care and dementia care is coming to Comox, providing 156 beds for people and their families in the Comox Valley.

“I look forward to seeing the significant impact this project will have on the lives of the seniors in the Comox Valley who will call this place home,” said Ronna-Rae Leonard, MLA for Courtenay-Comox. “I know that the team at Providence Living has worked hard to realize this new vision for safe, quality dementia care and I am excited to see it unfold in our community.”

The Providence Living Place, Together by the Sea dementia-care village is being built on the site of the existing The Views long-term care home and the former St. Joseph’s General Hospital at 2137 Comox Ave. The project is a partnership between the Province, Island Health and Providence Living Society. Construction began in March 2022 on the three-storey oval-shaped building with 156 long-term care beds. While the building will focus on dementia care, it will also accept those who qualify for long-term care.

“Providence Living is bringing to life its new vision of long-term care in Comox that will enable seniors to live meaningful lives with freedom of movement, access to nature, interaction with the community and intergenerational connections,” said Mark Blandford, interim CEO, Providence Living Society. “We are grateful for the financial support and the like-minded partner we’ve found in BC Housing.”

The development will consist of small self-contained households of 12 private rooms, each with its own bathroom. Care staff will be assigned to each household, fostering connections between residents and caregivers. 

“Island Health is excited to be a partner in this new dementia-care facility in Comox, which will offer a social and relational model of care that allows residents to access nature, move freely within the facility and interact with the community,” said Leah Hollins, board chair, Island Health. “It takes partnership and collaboration to implement a new way of delivering long-term care, and this project is a perfect example of how we can work together to help seniors live to their full potential.”

The Province, through BC Housing, is providing $57.5 million in construction financing for Together by the Sea. The development is part of B.C.’s 10-year, $7-billion housing plan. Since 2017, the Province has funded more than 36,000 affordable homes that are either complete or underway for people in B.C., including more than 450 homes in the Comox Valley.

Learn More: 

A map showing the location of all announced provincially funded housing projects in B.C. is available online: https://www.bchousing.org/homes-for-BC 

To learn about the steps the Province is taking to tackle the housing crisis and deliver affordable homes for British Columbians, visit: https://workingforyou.gov.bc.ca/