Kingston’s Youth Services Hub a step closer to reality as former manse torn down

Construction of the new Youth Services Hub in Kingston is a step closer.

The former manse on the Princess Street United Church property, located at the corner of Princess and Albert streets, has been torn down and the $10-million highrise development in the city’s midtown is waiting for federal funding to proceed.

Tom Greening, the executive director of Home Base Housing, says to be able to move forward with the project, the team is trying to get as shovel-ready as possible.

“So the manse has just come down on the property and I’m really excited to let you know that city council has approved funding for the residential supportive housing program to be built,” says Greening.

Greening says the province has already committed funding to the project and that now the federal government needs to get on board.

“The people that we’ve spoken to through CMHC are very happy with the proposal that we have for them. And we continue to work with them on our application to fine-tune it and make it as fundable as possible” he added.

The new facility will provide living spaces for homeless youth along with a variety of in-house rehabilitation services.

The site of the former manse will eventually become a retail cafe which will provide employment opportunities for many of the youth that use the programs.

However, Greening says the heritage building that has been torn down will not be forgotten.

“The heritage committee had looked at our application and did approve us to be able to take the manse down,” explained Greening.

“The limestone blocks that are the foundation of the manse are being recovered and we are setting them aside and we’ll incorporate them in future building on this property.”

Without secured funding from the federal government, there’s no official date for shovels to get in the ground.