Streetlink is one of the best known Cool Aid programs, having evolved from the original Cool Aid hostel in 1968.

Over time, Streetlink has concentrated more on offering emergency services to homeless people in the downtown core. Since 1991, it has been located in a downtown location that also houses the Cool Aid Community Health Centre and a supportive housing program. Streetlink is not only a shelter, but also provides meals, drop in services, laundry facilities and links to other resources.

Clients Served

Streetlink’s 80 beds (men and women) are used to capacity (over 99% over the course of the year), providing 34,675 spaces per year. We serve 110,000 hot nutritious meals each year to shelter and drop-in clients. Streetlink also averages about 15,000 interventions with resident and non-resident clients per year (40 per day), dealing with issues of mental health, health, substance abuse, life skills, crisis intervention and housing needs.

Mandate

Streetlink provides the very basic of needs to Victoria’s downtown street-entrenched populations: shelter, food and hygiene. It is a link to other Cool Aid services such as the Community Health Centre and other services such as the Our Place, Withdrawal Management Services and Pacifica Housing. It is the primary resource for the homeless in Victoria and a central program of Cool Aid.