Heartwood House: Healthcare Housing Nearly Full After Fast Start
By Eric Jacobsen, Executive Director, Lady Minto Hospital Foundation
Fifteen of the 18 units at Heartwood House — Salt Spring Island’s new affordable housing for healthcare workers — are already spoken for, just 12 weeks after the doors opened.
The Lady Minto Hospital Foundation purchased and renovated the former Sea Breeze Inne motel on Salt Spring Island, transforming it into stable, affordable homes for the healthcare workers our community depends on. The goal is twofold: attracting new health professionals to the island, and helping those already working here who are vulnerably or unsuitably housed.
The results so far have exceeded expectations. Heartwood House played a central role in a Foundation-supported recruitment campaign last summer and fall that brought 10 new hires to Lady Minto Hospital — including four international recruits, two of them from the United States.
When I got the job at Lady Minto I was excited — but worried about the housing shortage. Hearing about Heartwood House brought so much relief. It gave me a fresh start on this beautiful island, and I’m so grateful I get to be a nurse here.
“All four of our recent international hires were able to accept their offers only because affordable housing was available through Heartwood House,” said Paula Duque, Island Health Recruiter. “Having guaranteed staff housing made a huge difference in attracting and onboarding nurses.”
Erin Lindstrom-Price, Site Director at Lady Minto Hospital, called the project a meaningful shift for the community. “Housing availability on Salt Spring remains one of the greatest barriers to recruitment and retention,” she said. “These dedicated homes are already making a difference — for international nursing hires, allied health professionals, and facility staff who often face the greatest challenges finding a home here.”
Current and incoming tenants reflect the full range of people who keep local healthcare running: Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Care Aides, Food Services staff, a Health Career Access Program student training to become a Health Care Assistant, and a Peer Support Worker providing community mental health services.
The housing is owned by the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation and managed by the Heartwood House Society, a non-profit established specifically to oversee operations, ensure fair administration, and keep rents affordable for healthcare workers.
The Foundation is deeply grateful to the Salt Spring Island Foundation for their generous multi-year contribution totalling $300,000 and the many community donors whose generosity made this project possible. Sustaining Heartwood House and keeping rents genuinely affordable for healthcare workers over the long term will require ongoing community support. If Heartwood House matters to you, please consider making a donation to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation. Every contribution helps ensure that the healthcare workers can say yes to Salt Spring.
Looking for housing, or want to help?
Healthcare workers can contact the Heartwood House Society about current and upcoming availability. https://www.heartwoodhousessi.ca/
Community members wishing to support the project can make a donation to the Lady Minto Hospital Foundation at https://ladymintofoundation.com/donate/