Guelph’s Grace Gardens affordable housing project is getting a major funding injection from the federal government.
On Wednesday, federal housing minister Ahmed Hussen, joined by Guelph MP Lloyd Longfield, announced $6.4 million in funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative to convert the former Parkview Motel at 721 Woolwich St. into 32 affordable bachelor apartments.
The project is also receiving $25,000 through the SEED program and $460,000 in funding under the Ontario Priority Housing Initiative.
“Affordable housing should not be a luxury, it is a necessity,” Hussen said during the virtual announcement. “Everyone in our communities deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.”
Grace Gardens has been in the works for several years and involved Stepping Stone, a local organization that assists those experiencing homelessness, finalizing the purchase of the motel in April 2021 for just under $4 million.
The Parkview Motel previously served as an emergency overflow shelter but the new facility would provide on-site staff and supports 24/7 around mental health and addiction.
Stepping Stone executive director Gail Hoekstra said the funding puts the organization in a really good position to complete construction at the site.
“We’re aiming for summer to cut the ribbon,” she said. “We’re just in a really good position from a capital perspective, from an operational perspective — we will make it work.”
The name Grace Gardens is in honour of Grace Frank, a long-time supporter of Stepping Stone when it was previously called The Welcome In Drop-In Centre, who left the organization $600,000 in her will when she passed away in 2016.
Guelph city council previously approved $884,000 for the project in October 2021. It has also received $1.2 million from the County of Wellington and Ontario’s Social Services Relief Fund.
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said Grace Gardens will make a huge difference for the city.
“It is simply unacceptable that in a city as prosperous as ours, we have people living in tents or on the streets,” he said, noting the city has set a goal of ending homelessness by next year.
“Thanks to today’s announcement, 32 people will now have the permanent housing they need and the supports they need to address mental health or the addictions issues or concerns they may have. They will now have a chance at a better life,” he said Wednesday.
Other supportive housing projects pegged for Guelph include a five-storey, 32-unit building on Willow Road that is scheduled to welcome its first tenants next year.
A transitional housing project on Delhi Street with 28 bedrooms has been halted while an appeal makes its way through the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Wyndham House also has two youth-focused housing facilities that are staffed 24 hours a day. Each has a capacity for eight residents.
Hoekstra said the latest data shows there are still 130 people on a by-name list that gives a real-time count of all people experiencing homelessness in Guelph and Wellington.
“That’s the group we need to support through permanent supportive housing projects because it gives a level of support and the deeply-affordable place to live which will lead to our goal of ending homelessness,” she said.
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