Victoria Cool Aid Society - Cedar Grove

On the good side: The REES program is awesome, having the labour pool and job resource center, access to computers and printers, and the peer support program are excellent, they have helped me out alot. Every Step Counts and programs at the gym are perfect for exercise, and at the medical center the pharmacy and docs have been kind, I've gotten vitamins, samples, ice packs, tensors, referrals etc to help me. Having counselling available too is crucial, that alot of help is all available in the same place is really good...On the flip side for the bad: the housing is exclusively for drug addicts and alcoholics, who are enabled and allowed to keep destroying their lives, with full medical support, at times free food, and cheap rent so more money for dope and a nice little customer base to keep getting funding - repeat customers, the shelters are horrendous garbage dumps full of stolen property and needles (mostly Rock Bay Landing but Sandy Merriman has bad people too, and I've heard multiple accusations of staff stealing off clients), extremely unsafe and with very dangerous criminally minded opportunistic people who will rob you outright, steal off you even when you are sleeping on top of your property, or worse, and the people that are attracted to all of the programs are not always of pure intentions and are still predators looking for people to victimize within the programs, they are not doing it to make their lives better, they are not changing their core being that keeps harming others, like the scumbag addict who was in the Every Step Counts Program but conned my brother and stole his mustang still!...Be warned!!! The labour pool also attracts low caliber rock bottom type shady employers alot of the time, everything seems to be a downgrade, so it's good for starting out, but again, be careful of who some of the employers are, I've heard reports they rip workers off and are abusive! Take the programs in with Caution...

One of the newer (2023) subsidized housing units in the area. It replaced a somewhat run down multi-unit; quite an improvement for both the neighbourhood and the tenants. I think the limited access mechanisms have helped everyone. Somehow they have managed to avoid spill over into the adjoining neighbourhood and streets. Good work by Cool Aid, IMO.