As the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin puts the finishing touches on its Project Tiny Hope at 21 Kains Street – now officially christened Hope Crossing – the organization is not resting on its laurels.
The YWCA announced this week its proposed development at 53 Hiawatha Street in St. Thomas, to support its vision of affordable seniors’ housing.
To kick-start the undertaking, the City of St. Thomas is donating a parcel of land adjacent to the Scott Street Municipal Parking Lot.
This will be paired with a contribution of $2.7 million through the Affordable Housing Grant Program and Housing Accelerator Fund.
The proposed 40-unit apartment development will build upon the YWCA’s ongoing investment in creating safe, inclusive, and affordable housing solutions that foster independence, connection and dignity for residents, according to a media release.
Executive Director Lindsay Rice confirmed the YWCA has owned the property for several years.
She added, “We want to ensure that the most vulnerable are not left behind and that as we grow, we are also growing affordable housing because the need and the demand is there.”
Rice outlined the vision for 53 Hiawatha Street.
“It’s a three-and-a-half-storey structure. So that half is that lower level, but with full windows. And then three storeys on top. Forty units in total, all one-bedroom, 20 per cent of them accessible.”
As is the case with Hope Crossing, there is a very defined plan for the composition of the resident population. With a minimum of 50 per cent female residents, 25 per cent Indigenous and First Nations.
The existing church on site will be repurposed into a program house, explained Rice.
We asked Rice to elaborate on the Indigenous component.
Development partners include Devonshire Consulting, Doug Tarry Homes, Studiodyer Architects, the Elgin Ontario Health Team and the City of St. Thomas.
“We’re going to get things moving, and all of our partners are on the same page. We’re all very keen to get things moving as quickly as we can. Things in the construction world aren’t super fast, but our team is very dedicated to prioritizing this project.”
Written by Ian McCallum
