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December asset transfer results in two new care villages on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Central City Lodge, pictured above, and Cooper Place -- both located in the City of Vancouver -- are now owned and operated by Providence Living as the new organization seeks to expand its long-term care presence from Vancouver Island across BC.

Providence Living, a non-profit society focused on meeting the needs of vulnerable people, is bringing its unique brand of caring to Vancouver in full cooperation with the City Centre Care Society (CCCS).

Operations and assets were formally transferred to Providence Living on December 24, 2022, bringing operational oversight and ownership of Central City Lodge and Cooper Place to Providence Living. The former contains 100 long-term care beds and 22 addiction recovery program beds while the latter contains another 69 assisted-living beds.

“Through this transfer, we – Providence Living and Providence Health Care – are signaling our joint willingness to partner and provide clinical, business and operations expertise to support other BC non-profit care providers who find themselves challenged in the current healthcare environment to deliver excellent service to clients,” said Mark Blandford, interim President and CEO, Providence Living.

The right fit
Central City Lodge and Cooper Place are located on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and are part of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.

The initial Providence Living/CCCS service collaboration began when CCCS’s governing board approached Providence Living to consider a management services contract. The fit was right as both organizations share similar values and a shared mission, focused on supporting people with health, social and housing challenges.

“Throughout its 100-year history, Central City Care Society has adapted to the changing needs of its community, always with a view of delivering care in a compassionate and innovative manner,” said Blandford. “We are grateful for that legacy and are dedicated to continuing its future journey from a place of strength and opportunity.”

Cooper Place

Rewriting the long-term care story

Providence Living is a new faith-based, non-profit health care organization established by Providence Health Care in 2017 to reinvent and reinvest in senior’s care. To redefine the collective expectation of seniors’ care in British Columbia, Providence Living is replacing care homes with genuine communities.

Today’s announcement marks Providence Living’s first entry into the City of Vancouver. It is also the fledging entity’s first – but not last — service expansion that adds assisted living and addiction recovery to its services that has, until now, focused primarily on long-term care.

Currently, Providence Living’s first new-build long-term care community – Providence Living @ The Views — is taking shape in the town of Comox, on Vancouver Island. The project is BC’s first publicly long-term care facility designed on the concept of a dementia village.

After the Comox project is complete, Providence Living will turn its attention to aging care facilities in the Vancouver area which will be rebuilt, using the Comox site as a blueprint.