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Ottawa Citizen

Gray: How Ottawa is building affordable housing for older artists

Article content Our city has painstakingly built a vibrant creative culture, whether it is our wonderful summer music festivals, our striking Ottawa Art Gallery, our diverse theatre scene, our city orchestra. We've all benefited … but while the arts workers may have enormously satisfying creative years enriching their communities, as they age they discover a hard truth: the 'golden years' are far from golden. Article content Article content Work opportunities dwindle. Health deteriorates. Homelessness threatens. Dedicating oneself to the arts rarely allows the artist to accumulate savings and never guarantees any security in old age. As a member of The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC), I know how often my fellow authors, as they age, find themselves in difficulties. In fact, TWUC administers a special fund for those in need. Article content Article content But a handful of far-sighted cities have found a way to provide decent homes for senior arts workers that allows them to continue to express themselves while building an inclusive creative community for a whole neighbourhood. The first city to do this was Toronto in 1993, then Vancouver in 2006, Stratford in 2013 and very soon Ottawa. Article content Already under construction in the heart of Little Italy is PAL Place, an 86-unit apartment building specifically for older residents who have been active in the arts. This six-storey building is part of Ottawa Housing Corporation's Mosaïq development with 273 new residences from Phase Two joining the existing 140 from Phase One. PAL's units, like those elsewhere in the development, will be rented at both market and below-market rates. Article content Article content PAL Ottawa, the driving force behind PAL Place, is a volunteer organization of local people like me who love the arts; PAL Ottawa has already raised $1.7 million towards a goal of $2 million. These funds will be available to pay for a 2,500-sq.-ft. creative arts space in PAL Place as well as to provide additional financial assistance to residents who need it. Article content Article content PAL Ottawa's contribution will add a whole new dimension to this development and neighbourhood, because it makes PAL Place more than an affordable housing development. It will also be a dynamic centre of cultural activities, hosting performances, exhibitions, poetry readings and community gatherings. The creative space in PAL Place in Ottawa will be an arts hub not just for Mosaïq residents but for the whole neighbourhood. Article content PAL Place is modelled on the very successful experiences of the PALs in Toronto and Vancouver. It is based on an approach from Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) to PAL Ottawa, in which OCH suggested a partnership. The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding with the expectation that 40 per cent of the units would be below-market rates. OCH is the landlord and PAL Ottawa has a 20-year renewable block lease and the responsibility to bring in residents from its growing list of more than 200 applicants, many of whom already meet the city's criteria for subsidized housing. This is the first time a charity has partnered with the city in this way.