What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm 6pm - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm 6pm - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm 6pm - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 5pm 6pm - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 5pm 6pm - 4:30pm

Victoria Cool Aid Society

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Victoria Cool Aid Society

On Facebook Monday through Friday, 9-4:30, except holidays. We build homes, lives and community. In 1968, the Cool Aid Hostel opened its doors.

We create opportunities for people who are homeless or living in poverty. We make a difference through housing, health care, support and emergency shelters. Our mission was to provide short-term, emergency shelter to transient youth travelling the country. In 1972, we launched our first dental clinic. Throughout the 1980s, Cool Aid grew as one of British Columbia’s largest non-profit organizations

, with an increasing focus on the development of safe, affordable housing. Fifty years after our initial launch, Cool Aid has developed a successful reputation by creating accessible, affordable, and alternative housing programs and holistic health services for people who need it the most.

06/18/2026

The clinic is built. The doors are about to open. And we'd love for you to be there when we celebrate.

September marks a milestone many years in the making. The Dr. Joe Haegert Community Health Centre at Crosstown is nearly finished, and it will soon welcome its first patients.

To celebrate and raise the funds for the final touches, join us at the Health + Homecoming Gala on Saturday, September 26!

Early bird tickets are $200 until July 15th. After that they're $225, so now is the time to grab yours.

Help us cross the finish line. Tickets at coolaid.org/gala

06/17/2026

Now hiring: Casual Mental Health Workers at Rock Bay Landing.

Join our team and help support people experiencing homelessness. This is hands-on work responding to crises, building trust, and walking with people through hard moments. Rock Bay Landing is one of Victoria's busiest emergency shelters, and the team there does meaningful, demanding, and deeply human work every day.

What makes starting at Rock Bay Landing different:

- Dedicated 1:1 orientation. Every new team member is paired with a Rock Bay Landing trainer for their first shifts. During this time, the trainer's only focus is supporting and training you. You get hands-on learning, mentorship, and the space to ask questions as you become familiar with the site, the routines, the expectations, and the people we serve.

- Additional site-specific training. You will receive further training focused on education, support strategies, and practical tools for working with individuals who may present with higher-acuity needs.

- Site premium. Team members working at Rock Bay Landing receive a site premium on top of their hourly wage.

If you are compassionate, dependable, and ready to make a real difference in someone's life, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today at coolaid.org/careers

06/16/2026

Residents of Johnson Manor share their experiences of recovery and what it has meant to have substance-free housing for up to 24 months. That amount of time allows them to focus on their recovery, establish routines, build and rebuild relationships, and reconnect with the community.

Support Long Term Recovery: coolaid.org/support-long-term-recovery

06/09/2026

📣 We're hiring nurses!

Cool Aid's Community Health Centre is looking for a Registered Nurse to join our Outreach team. Working in our clinics and our mobile outreach vans, you would provide primary health care to people in our community who face the biggest barriers to accessing it.

Here is what we offer:
- Advanced scope of practice with real clinical autonomy
- Monday to Friday daytime hours, no nights or weekends
- 100% employer-paid health and dental, plus pension for full-time
- Full-time or part-time, permanent

This is meaningful, hands-on nursing with a team that has your back. If that sounds like you, or someone you know, we would love to hear from you.

Apply today: coolaid.org/careers

06/03/2026

A new music program is coming to Rock Bay!

Music can be a powerful tool for creativity, connection, self-expression, and well-being. To help make this program a success, we're looking for donations of musical instruments that can be used for learning, practicing, and creating together.

We're especially looking for:
- Acoustic, electric, or bass guitars
- Ukuleles
- Keyboards
- Amplifiers

If you have an instrument sitting unused and would like to help create new opportunities for our residents, we'd love to hear from you.

Thank you for helping us build a welcoming space where people can learn new skills, express themselves, and discover the joy of music.

To donate an instrument contact [email protected]

05/28/2026

You've been thinking about it.

What you'll leave behind. Who you'll leave it for. Whether the things you care about will still be cared for when you're gone.

Kevin's parents asked themselves the same question. So did the woman who walked through Sandy Merriman House's doors looking for a reason to keep going.

The answer doesn't have to be complicated. A gift in your will to Cool Aid — any size — means your compassion keeps showing up long after you're gone.

This Leave a Legacy Month, take one small step. Talk to your lawyer or notary. Let your kindness outlive you.

05/26/2026

Just a few years ago, Ian Cooper felt like his life was defined by “chaos and destruction.”

Today, he is a House Lead at Johnson Manor, our first recovery house, where 20 men are building the stability, structure and community needed for long-term recovery.

Ian was the first to apply and one of the first to move in. Now, as one of two House Leads, he helps other residents create a sense of purpose and connection that is central to recovery.

Every person staying at Johnson Manor contributes to the community by preparing meals, completing daily chores, attending recovery meetings, and participating in paid or volunteer work.

For Ian, the greatest motivation is his children. Johnson Manor's long-term (up to 24 months), substance-free model is giving him the time and space he needs to rebuild his life and becoming more present for his family.

This program is already changing lives but as Ian points out, if there were four more houses like it, they would all be full. The need for long-term recovery housing is immense, and every new space creates another chance for someone to heal and start over.

05/22/2026

Not every meaningful gift comes with a dollar sign. Food, clothing, hygiene supplies, professional services. They all help keep our programs running and our doors open across Victoria.

Curious what we're looking for right now? Our wish list is live and updated regularly at coolaid.org/in-kind-donations.

Thank you to everyone who shows up for our community in whatever way they can.

05/21/2026

More than 50 residents and staff came together last week to celebrate Crosstown’s first birthday.

Just over a year ago, 154 people moved into their new supportive and affordable homes on Burnside Road East. In that time, Crosstown has become so much more than housing—it's become a vibrant and welcoming community.

Happy first birthday, Crosstown!

05/20/2026

At Cool Aid, food security isn't just a value — it's something we live every day, serving hundreds of nutritious meals to our community's most vulnerable members. So when we heard about this event organized by one of our team members, we knew we had to get behind it.

On May 22nd, Green Valley — a stunning documentary about off-grid farm life on Cortes Island — screens at The Vic Theatre, with all proceeds going to the Compost Education Centre. The people at the Compost Education Centre are doing exactly the kind of work we believe in: building local food resilience and keeping organics out of landfills.

Tickets are $20 and every dollar stays in the community.

📅 May 22nd | 🕡 Doors 6:30 PM | 📍 The Vic Theatre, Victoria BC

🎟️ bit.ly/4cYkNj3

We hope to see you there.

Address

749 Pandora Avenue # 101
Victoria, BC
V8W1N9

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
	6pm - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
	6pm - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
	6pm - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
	6pm - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
	6pm - 4:30pm

Website

http://CoolAid.org/

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