There will be more to the Sooke Gathering Place than just a place to meet for seniors.
A multi-storey elders housing complex adjacent to the public library is being planned by the district and Sooke Region Communities Health Network for a cost of $34 million.
The complex’s first floor is dedicated to a seniors and intergeneration centre that will offer activities, crafts, dining, games, socializing, and larger community events.
“The Sooke Gathering Place was never intended to simply be an elders centre,” said Christine Bossi, executive director of the Sooke Region Communities Health Network (SRCHN).
SRCHN is raising $2 million for the Sooke Gathering Place. This fall, B.C. Housing is expected to announce funding for the housing complex.
Bossi said Sooke has not had a dedicated senior drop-in centre since 2010, and it has affected the elderly in the community.
“People are becoming very disconnected, very isolated. People are very reluctant to receive services they really need and are available to them. COVID worsened the situation,” she said.
It’s a sentiment shared by Carol Pinalski, the former Sooke Seniors’ Drop-in Centre president.
“It’s the socialization. That’s the biggest thing. We have so many seniors that don’t have anybody else. They don’t have family here, which was one way we could keep track of everybody,” she said.
“Lack of socialization is deadly for seniors. Isolation is the worst thing in the world.”
Pinalski said at its height, the Sooke Seniors’ Drop-in Centre had more than 300 members before it disbanded in 2017, and she believes that number would be much higher today with the growth of Sooke.
Bossi and Pinalski are encouraged that the centre will be intergenerational, allowing youth and seniors to do activities together.
A study conducted by SRCHN found Sooke youth wanted a place to socialize with seniors.
The Gathering Place has raised more than $100,000 so far, and SRCHN is hoping a major donor and helper with fundraising will step forward.
To donate, please go online to sookegatheringplace.ca or drop by the Sooke Region Communities Health Network, No. 204-2120 Church Rd. Donations can also be made through Canada Helps.