City of Kingston to help fund city’s first hospice facility

Kingston’s first-ever hospice facility is getting some help from the city.

Tuesday night, councillors reaffirmed a 2019 decision to contribute over half a million dollars to help with the construction.

“I share the excitement with a host of people who have put many years into this effort and it will really be a community celebration when we’re finally able to open the doors for the hospice residence,” Krista Wells Pearce of Providence Care said.

The facility will contain 10 beds for 24-hour end-of-life care for patients, which aims to create a home-like environment for those suffering from a terminal illness.

The new building will be located on the grounds of Providence Village on Princess Street.

The hospice residence has been in the works for a decade now, but there is still a way to go when getting the funds.

“Our total project cost is just shy of $13 million at this point,” Wells Pearce said, “if you pair the planning that has been going on for the past many years with the cost of actually building the building itself, the bricks and mortar and the furniture costs to equip the space.”

The province of Ontario does provide a small capital grant towards hospice projects but $5 million still needs to be fundraised.

Providence Care has scaled back the square footage of the building, yet the project’s price tag actually increased by $1.2 million due to rising construction costs.

“Cost per square foot is significant — $675 per square foot, which is, in my 20 years, incredibly high, especially for a very low-tech building,” Wells Pearce said.

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In 2019, council decided to contribute $500,000 for the construction and during Tuesday night’s meeting, council decided to keep that dollar amount the same.

“Finding funds on any sort of capital campaign can be very difficult. When you lock into an agreement with a partner, and when COVID hits and various aspects change, you still rely on that locked-in partnership,” Coun. Don Amos said.

The hospice is expected to open midway through 2024, when it will welcome its first residents and their loved ones.