The finishing touches on Ross Ellen Housing complex are complete and the Winnipeg facility is ready for tenants.
The 47-unit affordable housing project in the city’s Centennial neighbourhood for people coming into or out of homelessness was blessed Monday morning to mark the occasion, and to reiterate its purpose.
“This project has been about dignity and a place to call home,” Jaime Grasby, a knowledge keeper from Sagkeeng First Nation, said at a press conference announcing the building’s completion.
The 47-unit Ross Avenue complex has a common area for cooking and dining, a living room and a space for Indigenous-focused cultural activities.
Tenants are not required to be sober from drugs or alcohol; support staff will be on-site around the clock.
The philanthropist behind the project who contributed much of its funding said keeping barriers low for those living at Ross Ellen House was a priority after a previous project he completed magnified issues in finding housing for vulnerable populations.
“If you’re a vulnerable person who doesn’t have all those resources behind you, what chance do you have at finding a place?” John Pollard of Home First Winnipeg said.
“If we’re going to address the homelessness problem we need homes for people to move into.”
A bilateral agreement signed in 2019 based on the Canada-Manitoba Housing Agreement under the National Housing Strategy brought about some of the funding for the project, while provincial and federal loans rounded out the remaining cost.
“By providing homes without pre-conditions Ross Ellen Housing will create a stable base from which its residents can begin to address the issues in their lives,” families minister Rochelle Squires said at the press conference.
The national strategy offers almost $450.8 million in joint funding to protect, renew and expand social and community housing over the next 10 years.
The province will give annual cash to the complex for its operations.