After more than four decades of advocacy and planning, Vancouver's West End will welcome a landmark new hub for the LGBTQ2+ community. The QMUNITY LGBTQ2+ Community Centre is officially on track to open its doors in the spring of 2027, representing a $91-million partnership between the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.
A Personal Vision Realized
The centre's origins are deeply personal for one of its earliest champions, Tim Stevenson. Now 80, the former Vancouver city councillor and British Columbia's first openly gay MLA recalls his own struggle in silence, not coming out until he was 30 years old. "I was determined that no younger person would have to go through the hell that I had gone through," Stevenson said, reflecting on the isolation he felt. His vision, first formed in the early 1980s as president of Gay UBC, became a political mission. As a councillor in the early 2000s, he spearheaded the effort to secure the site at 981 Davie Street, a process finalized in 2016 after years of negotiation.
"It is one of the most important things I've accomplished in my career," Stevenson stated. He believes the centre's significance extends far beyond local boundaries. "The centre will be a beacon of hope, not just for Vancouver or B.C., but for the entire country, especially at a time when queer and transgender communities are feeling increasingly under attack."
From Cramped Quarters to a Purpose-Built Home
Since 1981, the QMUNITY non-profit has operated from a constrained, 3,000-square-foot space on Bute Street. The organization's current home, located up a flight of stairs, features low ceilings, exposed pipes, and cramped rooms that have severely limited the scope of services. Despite its physical limitations, the space is historic, having served as the planning ground for Vancouver's first Pride parade and the city's inaugural queer film festival.
"That space has so much heart," acknowledged Michaël Robach, QMUNITY's interim executive director. However, he emphasized that it no longer meets the soaring demand from the community. While QMUNITY currently serves approximately 20,000 people annually, requests for crucial services like free and low-cost counselling for LGBTQ+ and transgender individuals consistently outstrip capacity. The waitlist often sees 50 to 85 requests at a time, yet the organization can only support about 14 or 15 clients concurrently.
A Hub for Community and Housing
The new centre will occupy the first two floors of a 17-storey mass-timber building in the heart of Davie Village. Upon completion, it will stand as one of the largest facilities of its kind in Canada, offering a wide range of support services to LGBTQ2+ and Two-Spirit individuals across British Columbia.
The project is uniquely integrated with vital affordable housing. The broader development includes 154 below-market rental units operated by the Community Land Trust. An additional 31 units will be managed by the McLaren Housing Society specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS. This combination of dedicated community space and secure housing addresses multiple, critical needs within the community.
The spring 2027 opening will mark the end of a long journey and the beginning of a new chapter, providing a vastly expanded, accessible, and permanent home for advocacy, connection, and support for generations to come.
