Street Hope Victoria
Our Projects
Victoria, BC
Street Hope Victoria (SHV) is a volunteer-driven ministry that builds personal relationships with people who face multiple barriers and marginalization and encourages them to seek wholeness in all aspects of their lives. Those we serve may be facing poverty, a lack of supportive community, homelessness, addictions or mental health issues.
SHV operates out of wagons as volunteers walk up and down a block of Pandora Avenue serving homemade soup, sandwiches, drinks, cookies and also providing other essentials such as warm clothing. It is SHV’s hope to establish and nurture meaningful connections with folks living their lives on or around Pandora Avenue, listening, talking, and praying with people when we get the chance. We hope in our words and actions to point people to Jesus, the one who loves them and knows their every need.
Project Director
Lisa Warden
Director,
Street Hope Victoria
Email Lisa
888.316.8169 ext 8
Project Update
Street Hope Victoria – Christmas
“I always feel like it’s Christmas when you guys come around,” says Nellie as we give her hot soup, a sandwich, a drink, and some warm clothes. “I can’t thank you enough. Your kindness always lifts my spirits so much.”
The closer we get to Christmas, it’s those who make their home on the streets who feel most acutely the longer nights and the colder weather.
I want to take a moment to thank you for the varied and beautiful ways in which you have joined with us to bring warmth, nourishment, encouragement, and love to our friends on Pandora Avenue. Whether through your prayers, dedicated volunteering, or donations, you help fan the flame of love in a place that desperately needs it.
Mantles of God’s love… One example of the outpouring of that love is a group of knitters at Christ Church Cathedral. They have blessed us with beautiful prayer shawls, hand-made with love, to give out to people on Pandora.
“Dear Beloved Child of God,” start the written blessings attached to each shawl. As I hand out the shawls, I ask if I can read to each recipient one of the messages the knitters included with the shawls.
Almost everyone agrees and eagerly soaks up the words:
“May this prayer shawl, made for you with love,
be a mantle and sign of God’s healing presence.
May it warm you when you are weary.
May it surround you with ease in your suffering.
May it encircle you with caring when you are in pain.
May it comfort you when you feel alone.
May it remind you of God’s abiding love.”
To all of you we send a Christmas wish inspired by the love of Jesus and borrowed from the women who pour out his love on the people of Pandora through their prayer shawl ministry:
This Christmas may you be cradled in God’s hope, enfolded in God’s peace, and wrapped in the gracious love of Christ.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
With love from Lisa & Friends
Reminder: If you are participating in our Christmas sock drive, please deliver your filled socks for us to give out on Pandora to Church of our Lord, 626 Blanshard, Victoria, BC by 2pm Monday, December 8th, 2025. (The church office is open for drop-offs on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays between 10am and 2pm, or between 10am and 1pm on Fridays. Feel free to contact me, Lisa.Warden@thresholdministries.ca, to arrange an alternative drop-off time.)
You can also support us by buying your groceries at Fairway using a Fairway Community Shopping Card linked to Street Hope Victoria. Contact Lisa if you would like a card.
Who We Are
Street Hope has been working in Victoria for the past 30 years. Street Hope Victoria began in 1986, with a particular focus on youth who were experiencing homelessness. Over the past number of years, we have shifted our venue to a motor home (since 2010) and broadened our age range.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic we have been using carts filled with food, drink and cold weather essentials, to share the love of Jesus as we walk up and down Pandora Avenue.
Street Hope Victoria is entirely volunteer driven. The committed group of volunteers at Street Hope Victoria operate under the umbrella of Threshold Ministries. This is a national organization and the national office is located in New Brunswick.
We meet each Tuesday evening at 7:30 for up to an hour and a half to give out food, listen, talk and pray with people we meet.
Our Numbers
100 sandwiches are given out each evening as well as 18 litres of soup; as well as other food and clothing items.
4-6 volunteers help out per evening.
Multiple conversations occur, people are encouraged and leave with full stomachs.
What does Street Hope Mean to you?
“A place that I look forward to each time. I feel enriched with the spirit of hope, love and belonging and I am grateful for your care and attention. Thanks, and bless you.”
“It restores my hope. Being in a situation where you are surrounded by a lot of negativity when you are homeless it’s easy to forget nice people and good things in life. Street Hope has me looking forward to something for the first time in a long time. It reminds me of my old life. It’s important to have light at the end of the tunnel. Street Hope encourages me to get back on track and make goals. Street Hope allows for intimacy through one on one connections.”