Support The Hearth at Phoenix Landing Neighbourhood House

In December 2024 The Chuan Society leased a 960 square foot portable from the CRD at the former Phoenix School  to operate The Hearth, a community drop-in space and warming centre. This is a pilot project of four months, after which the space will be taken over by CRD Parks Maintenance.

This initiative responds to our community's pressing need for a warm, safe, and inclusive space, particularly during the challenging winter months. Operating daily, The Hearth has served as a vital community hub where community members, especially those who are under-sheltered or marginalized, can find respite, connection, and support, serving as a daytime warming centre, all-day kitchen space, resource hub, and a space of culture, wellness, art and collaboration. The Hearth is volunteer-run with a core team of space-minders which connects islanders from diverse experiences, including liveaboards, shelter clients, vehicle dwellers, as well as counsellors, mental health workers, farmers, retirees and members of several local organizations.

Over our months of operation, The Hearth has helped numerous people to establish a place of belonging and connection. It has grown as a place which supports wellness, and has also activated our imaginations about what is possible with collective spaces. We have had film screenings, community circles, ceremonies, countless discussions, leather-making workshops, open-mics, community acupuncture, and regular community meals and potlucks during our time at the Phoenix portable, where we have also hosted Gabriel’s Kitchen this season.

The CRD are inviting local organisations to submit an EOI (Expression of Interest) to lease out the main floor of the main Phoenix School building after March 31. The Chuan Society is working towards continuing The Hearth as the cornerstone of a larger project: Phoenix Landing, a Neighbourhood House and Open Source Community Hub which will include a community garden, pantry, kitchen, as well as a cultural space with workshops, wellness programs, resource libraries and more. 

This is an integrated project which will serve the whole community. Salt Spring at present still does not have a dedicated community centre, friendship centre, or commons. With the diversity and size of our population, it is time to initiate a long-term, collective space as a co-creative resource which is accessible to all. Our vision is for a diverse, multi-use, intergenerational space shaped by the community and based on relationship, sharing resources, skills and learning, and collective empowerment. 

This project will centre wellness, art and creativity, relationship-building, and building collective resources together. As a Neighbourhood House, Phoenix Landing will provide a space to nourish relationships in the Ganges core and between neighbours, and to connect all islanders. It is our intention to deepen engagement with indigenous communities and to join in meaningful collaborations, relationships and learning. Now, more than ever, a place is needed where islanders can gather to play, work, create and make a difference together. In an age of precarity, we can create unity, and abundance. 

Please sign this petition to get behind and support The Hearth at Phoenix Landing as we apply to the CRD for a long-term lease at the former Phoenix School at 163 Drake. You can also support us by sending letters of support to chuansociety@gmail.com. The Chuan Society have applied for several grants to support this project, but are fundraising to supplement our projected costs pending confirmation; e-transfers can be sent to chuansociety@gmail.com (please specify 'Hearth' in the memo and use 'warmth' as the password).

With thanks,

The Chuan Society and The Hearth community