The Salvation Army arrived to Vancouver Island in the late 1880s. Salvationists, as they came to know, made an immediate impact in the greater Victoria area. They earned a reputation for helping those made who had fallen on hard times. This is especially true of the poor and working-class people coping with social and economic change in the period.​

 

The Salvation Army initially focused on establishing food distribution programs in and around the downtown core. This began in earnest with food depots where people could drop in to enjoy a cooked meal, community events, and vibrant church life. In 1895, Victoria Mayor John Teague commended The Salvation Army for their work and the city and other charities began to assist the initiative. The success of the food depots led to their rapid expansion into larger, more accessible public markets throughout the city.  

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The Salvation Army recognized the need for affordable places for people to live in Victoria. In 1918, The Salvation Army movement procured hotels on 500 block of Johnson St., and they repurposed them to provide shelter and community spaces people without adequate housing.

Thus, “The Metropole” was born. A year later, accommodations doubled when The Salvation Army  opened a hostel on the same block of Johnson St, followed by the Family Thrift Store to provide  employment opportunities and low cost goods to community members.

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Following WWII, The Salvation Army continued its downtown expansion by repurposing a hotel on Yates St. The site became know as the Harbour Light Treatment Centre when it launched in 1956. Aimed at helping men find sobriety through an inhouse alcohol treatment program, the building could not meet the public demand. By 1963, the program moved next door until it was replaced in 1982 by The Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC). Prior to the opening of the ARC, the Harbour Light program saw more than 3,500 guests complete treatment.

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With the success of its shelters, thrift store, and treatment centre, The Salvation Army decided it was time to consolidate its programs and services into one location at 525 Johnson. The Salvation Army open its Victoria Harbour Light Centre in 1982—the site would later be renamed the Addictions and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC).