Construction is underway on St. Vincent’s: Heather, a new long-term care home led by Providence Health Care that will increase access to care for seniors in the Lower Mainland.
The 13-storey care home located at 33rd Avenue and Heather Street will welcome 240 residents when it opens in late 2028.
“This new long-term care home is a meaningful step forward as more seniors need support to age with dignity and stay connected to their communities,” said Bowinn Ma, Minister of Infrastructure, in a news release. “We’re building a modern, welcoming space where seniors can feel at home and receive the care they deserve — all while strengthening local health-care capacity and creating good jobs in the community.”
“St. Vincent’s: Heather will bring to life a new vision for long-term care in the heart of Vancouver – one where residents are not only cared for, but truly known,” said Fiona Dalton, president and CEO, Providence Health Care. “This home will reflect our commitment to the Home for Us model, a made-in-B.C. approach that replaces institutional routines with meaningful relationships, personal choice and spaces that feel familiar. Together, we are creating a community where seniors, families and staff experience joy, connection and belonging every day.”
The new care home will feature:
- Community living with personal space: 20 households on 10 floors will each support 12 residents in private rooms with ensuite bathrooms and shared living, dining, kitchen and laundry spaces.
- Support for people living with dementia: The design and daily routines are based on a model that helps people living with dementia stay active, social, and feel more at home.
- Onsite amenities: The centre includes a theatre, hair and beauty salon, library, café bistro, Catholic chapel, and rooms for physiotherapy and exercise.
- Culturally inclusive spaces: Indigenous-centred features include a sacred space for cultural and spiritual care, and a medicine garden with traditional healing plants.
- Connected to the community: The site will include a 37-space child care centre with an outdoor play area to support intergenerational connection, a community hall, and a public plaza helping the neighbourhood stay connected.
“With St. Vincent’s: Heather, we’re building more than a care home,” said Mark Blandford, president and CEO, Providence Living. “Driven by our mission of compassionate and socially just care, Providence is building a community rooted in dignity, autonomy and emotional connection. This project brings our person-centred Home for Us model to an urban setting, drawing on the success of our Comox village, where we have seen how transformative this approach can be. By prioritizing home-like living, resident-directed care and deep human relationships, we’re setting a new standard for what long-term care can and should be.”
St. Vincent’s: Heather will welcome seniors from older Providence care homes, offering improved, modern care. The spaces freed up at those homes will be repurposed to support other growing health care needs across the Lower Mainland. The building’s design was developed in collaboration with the the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, following Indigenous Design Guidelines, which were developed through consultation with Indigenous patients, families, and all three Host Nations. These guidelines help shape the physical environment in ways that reflect Indigenous values, identities, and worldviews.
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This story was adapted from a Government of BC news release.
