Latest news with #transitionalhousing
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
40-unit transitional home in Sudbury set to open in early July following delays
A long-awaited transitional housing complex in Sudbury is scheduled to open in early July after facing construction delays. The $14.4-million complex, being built on Lorraine Street in the northern Ontario city, has had a complicated history. The project's original contractor, Nomodic Modular Structures Inc., declared bankruptcy in October 2023. That halted construction for two months before Flex Modular was named the new contractor at the end of that year. The City of Greater Sudbury also fell victim to a $1.5-million email fraud scheme related to the project. Tyler Campbell, the city's director of children and social services, said there's now a light at the end of the tunnel for the project. "We've just recently gotten the keys and so we're slowly moving furnishings in and got a bit of IT [information technology] work to do on site as well," he said. "And then we'll be transitioning clients. So it's a great story." Campbell said 13 people currently staying in a Sudbury-area motel will be the first to move into the facility when it opens its doors. It will have 40 units in total and will offer a suite of social services for the people who live there, as well as others in the community. The complex will also be home to Sudbury's Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs, which the Sudbury hospital is managing with other partners. "The goal is to bridge service gaps, enhance system integration, and deliver timely, culturally safe, and appropriate care to those who need it most with a focus on outreach services, transitional housing, a centrally located downtown hub, supportive housing and bed based services," Health Sciences North spokesperson Jason Turnbull said in an email to CBC News. Sudbury's HART hub, along with all others approved in the province, were scheduled to start operations by April 1. Campbell said the provincial election in February delayed those plans. "Obviously there was the election that took place and then as people were slotted in from a cabinet perspective they've gotten those funding agreements out to us," he said. "So pleased about that, but yeah, the election just slowed things down a couple of months." The provincial government is investing $550 million to create 28 new HART hubs across Ontario, including locations in Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay.
CBC
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Sudbury city council rejects tiny homes, backs new transitional housing for youth and Indigenous people
Greater Sudbury city council approved plans Monday afternoon to move ahead with new transitional housing projects aimed at addressing homelessness for youth and Indigenous people. However, a majority voted down Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc's proposal to explore a tiny homes pilot project as a temporary housing solution. The decisions come as part of Sudbury's Roadmap to End Homelessness by 2030, which seeks to make homelessness "rare, brief, and non-recurring" in the city in the next five years. Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh led a motion to develop a 40-unit, Indigenous-led transitional housing complex with wraparound supports. The business case will be prepared in collaboration with Indigenous community partners and is expected during the 2026–2027 budget cycle. "There are currently 304 unhoused individuals in Greater Sudbury, of which 77 per cent identify as high acuity, requiring wraparound supports," reads the motion. McIntosh compared the plan to council's previous support for the Lorraine Street transitional housing project, which is expected to welcome its first tenants next week. "I believe that just like in November of 2020 when Council requested a business case for what was to become our 40 unit Lorraine street transitional housing project, that we need to be proactive and shovel ready for federal and provincial grants that will hopefully be coming to meet this growing need for supportive housing," she said. Youth housing a growing concern A second motion, introduced by Mayor Paul Lefebvre focuses on creating a 24-hour transitional housing program and emergency shelter beds for those aged 16 to 24. The city's latest homelessness report lists 14 youth in this age group without housing. Lefebvre, who chairs the community safety and well-being panel, said the motion was informed by local agencies reporting a rising number of homeless youth. "The challenges of our youth that are precariously housed, or sometimes they're couch surfing because unfortunately they don't have a home to go back to, and it's becoming a major issue," he said. The most debated item was a motion by Coun. Bill Leduc to explore a tiny homes project as a fast, temporary housing option for people currently living in homeless encampments. Leduc called tiny homes a "stepping stone" for those sleeping outside, noting that "when you're homeless, it's life and death." But city staff expressed concerns. Tyler Campbell, general manager of community wellbeing, told council that tiny homes are not part of the city's long-term housing roadmap. Campbell explained that the annual operating costs for tiny homes would be similar to other supportive housing programs. Specifically, tiny home wrap-around services would cost around $2 million annually. By comparison, the Lorraine Street 40-unit transitional housing project provides similar services at a slightly lower cost. "The durability is not a long term capital infrastructure project, as opposed to, you know, multi-residential, transitional or supportive housing that we would be looking at a 40-, 5-0, 60-year return on," he said. He also noted that cities like Hamilton are phasing out tiny homes, and that no provincial or federal funding is currently available for such projects. City council ended up rejecting the tiny homes motion by a vote of 8 to 5. Mayor calls for more federal, provincial support Mayor Lefebvre said Sudbury faces ongoing challenges in addressing homelessness and urged more support from provincial and federal governments. He warned that without help for neighbouring communities, Sudbury risks being overwhelmed with people seeking housing it cannot provide. "Where my concern lies is that other communities that applied did not receive the funding, and so I'm very supportive, certainly of Timmins and North Bay getting that type of support as well. If not, people think, well, we'll just send our most acute cases to Sudbury," he said. "We cannot accommodate them at all, like we are already completely maxed out. So that's why we need to have a government of the province and the feds helping out these municipalities in these areas, to help these folks in their regions to stay there." He said that getting staff working on these businesses cases now is to ensure Greater Sudbury is prepared to apply for federal housing funds expected to open this fall.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Edmonton business association opposes plan to turn Beverly Motel into transitional housing
An old motel in Edmonton's Beverly neighbourhood, once known as a problem property, could become transitional housing on 118th Avenue — if it can overcome the pushback. Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) received a permit to convert the former Beverly Motel into a transitional housing project with 17 units. Now, it faces an appeal from the Beverly Business Association and must go to Edmonton's Subdivision and Development Appeal Board later this month. In a letter to the SDAB, the business association said the project will make the street less safe, less walkable and less attractive to the public and investors. "We strongly feel that a supportive housing project for persons escaping addiction will directly and significantly damage the important work that our association is undertaking to revitalize 118th Avenue," the letter says. Converting the building into housing also bars the business association from collecting a levy from the property, the letter said. "It stems more from fear than facts," Blake Jackman, NCSA's director of housing, told CBC News. Jackman described the appeal as unfortunate. The area has a lot of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness, he said, and the NCSA has been in talks with the business association about the project since its early stages. "It's between people remaining unhoused in their community and their alleys, in their parks, in their streets, or living safely in a supportive, recovery-oriented and professionally-managed environment until they can secure permanent housing," he said. The former motel has been newly renovated and the NCSA plans to run an abstinence-based program that allows people to stay for up to six months. The project received funding from the federal and provincial governments. The NCSA, which operates other transitional and supportive housing in Edmonton, has a track record of being good community members, Jackman said. "I know some neighbourhoods do feel like they're taking on more of the burden than other neighbourhoods are — and I'm not saying that's untrue," he said. "But we do believe that the Beverly community is in need of services to support them, with the encampments they have." In a statement to CBC News, Beverly Business Association executive director Alex Bosker said the organization would like to see the project go elsewhere. "Our board feels our business district is not the appropriate location for such a project, and that it would be more suitable to open their program outside of a specially levied business area," Bosker said. Beverly resident Chani Sunley said the former motel was "an eyesore" when she first moved into the area. But from she has heard, the housing project would greatly improve the motel site. Homeless people are living in the neighbourhood, and Sunley would rather see them living under a roof, with access to support, she said. "Right now, it's so hard, because where do people go? You just shuffle them along," she said. "We know that's what's happening." The Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, an independent municipal tribunal, will consider the business association's appeal at a hearing on July 24.
CBC
07-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Edmonton business association opposes plan to turn Beverly Motel into transitional housing
An old motel in Edmonton's Beverly neighbourhood, once known as a problem property, could become transitional housing on 118th Avenue — if it can overcome the pushback. Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) received a permit to convert the former Beverly Motel into a transitional housing project with 17 units. Now, it faces an appeal from the Beverly Business Association and must go to Edmonton's Subdivision and Development Appeal Board later this month. In a letter to the SDAB, the business association said the project will make the street less safe, less walkable and less attractive to the public and investors. "We strongly feel that a supportive housing project for persons escaping addiction will directly and significantly damage the important work that our association is undertaking to revitalize 118th Avenue," the letter says. Converting the building into housing also bars the business association from collecting a levy from the property, the letter said. "It stems more from fear than facts," Blake Jackman, NCSA's director of housing, told CBC News. Jackman described the appeal as unfortunate. The area has a lot of Indigenous people experiencing homelessness, he said, and the NCSA has been in talks with the business association about the project since its early stages. "It's between people remaining unhoused in their community and their alleys, in their parks, in their streets, or living safely in a supportive, recovery-oriented and professionally-managed environment until they can secure permanent housing," he said. The former motel has been newly renovated and the NCSA plans to run an abstinence-based program that allows people to stay for up to six months. The project received funding from the federal and provincial governments. The NCSA, which operates other transitional and supportive housing in Edmonton, has a track record of being good community members, Jackman said. "I know some neighbourhoods do feel like they're taking on more of the burden than other neighbourhoods are — and I'm not saying that's untrue," he said. "But we do believe that the Beverly community is in need of services to support them, with the encampments they have." In a statement to CBC News, Beverly Business Association executive director Alex Bosker said the organization would like to see the project go elsewhere. "Our board feels our business district is not the appropriate location for such a project, and that it would be more suitable to open their program outside of a specially levied business area," Bosker said. Beverly resident Chani Sunley said the former motel was "an eyesore" when she first moved into the area. But from she has heard, the housing project would greatly improve the motel site. Homeless people are living in the neighbourhood, and Sunley would rather see them living under a roof, with access to support, she said. "Right now, it's so hard, because where do people go? You just shuffle them along," she said. "We know that's what's happening."
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Ottawa opens transitional housing centre in vacant downtown office space
The City of Ottawa says the transitional housing facility will have a 'sleeping pod' for individuals, with a bed, a curtain for an entrance, a personal locker and a an individual reading light. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS) Empty office space in downtown Ottawa has been transformed into a transitional housing centre, providing temporary housing and social and skills development services for 140 adults experiencing homelessness. The City of Ottawa unveiled its new transitional housing facility for single adults in a four-storey space on Queen Street Thursday morning, a 30,000 sq. ft. space that will be operated by CCI Ottawa. 'It's another step toward building a city that takes care of our most vulnerable,' Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said on X. City of Ottawa's first ever office to transitional housing conversion A transitional housing facility on Queen Street features dedicated rooms for meetings and workshops. The City of Ottawa says Clients will also have access to settlement and employment support, housing search case management, short-term mental health crisis workers, and weekly life skills workshops. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS) The top three floors of the building feature a 'sleep pod system' equipped with a bed, four partial-height walls, a curtain for the entrance, a personal locker, and a reading light for individuals. According to the City of Ottawa, the building also has kitchens, dining areas, washrooms, showers, laundry facilities, lounge areas, and dedicated rooms for meetings and workshops. 'Clients will also have access to settlement and employment support, housing search case management, short-term mental health crisis workers, and weekly life skills workshops. The facility will be staffed 24/7 by CCI Ottawa personnel and on-site security,' the City of Ottawa said in a statement. In March 2024, Council approved a 10-year lease for the vacant office building at a cost of $4.38 million, with an additional $1.48 million allocated for fit-up improvements. A point-in-time count in Ottawa showed 2,952 people were experiencing homelessness in the capital in October. The survey showed 42 per cent of respondents were immigrants and refugees, according to the city. In Pictures
