Durham Region Non-Profit Housing Corporation (DRNPHC) operates 18 affordable rental housing projects in communities across Durham Region, including Gillespie Gardens, a 50 unit seniors apartment built 30 years ago in the Beaverton community of Brock Township. In 2016 the Corporation retained SHS Consulting to help develop a plan to intensify the site by adding a new extension to the building. SHS coordinated the preparation of the intensification plan and prepared the funding submission to the Region of Durham under the Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) Program. The submission was successful and SHS was retained to manage the development of the project.
SHS worked with the project architect to achieve all municipal planning approvals, arrange project financing and tender the construction of the building to a pre-qualified list of general contractors. SHS also assisted in securing Service Manager and Ministry of Housing consent to develop on an existing social housing site. A successful bidder was selected and retained to construct the building. The new extension, a $4.4 million project featuring 18 units in a highly accessible and energy efficient building, is nearing completion and will be occupied in the fall of 2018.
SHS has gone on to successfully submit a further funding application for DRNPHC under the Investment in Affordable Housing Program for a new 50 unit seniors project in the Cannington community of Brock Township. This project will be built on a surplus school site acquired from the local public school board for a nominal amount. Construction is expected to commence in the summer of 2018 and will be carried out through a pre-qualified tendering process.
Capability Support Services Inc. (Capability) is an experienced developer and operator of affordable rental and supportive housing. Capability operates three supportive housing locations including Maple Grove Place in Dunnville which provides housing for 21 seniors, as well as providing supports through various programs operating in Halton and Hamilton. Dunnville is a rural community with a population under 5,800 located in Haldimand County.
SHS Consulting worked with Capability on the development of Maple Grove Place, which involved major renovations to a vacant wing of Grandview Lodge that was previously used for long-term care. Maple Grove Place was completed in 2012 and provides housing options for those no longer to live independently in their own homes. The services include 24/7 supportive care, meals, laundry and housekeeping.
This new project will also be located on the Grandview Lodge campus and will see the construction of a 14-unit, single storey building specifically designed for seniors that are able to live independently, with some supports if needed. The units are all one-bedroom, and are designed to enable aging in place, with all having accessible washrooms and sufficient space in the kitchens for those using wheelchairs or walkers. These new units provide the last piece in the continuum of care on the property, which provides options ranging from independent living, supportive housing and long-term care.
Funding for the project was obtained from the Investment in Affordable Housing (2014 Extension) as well as the 2016 Social Infrastructure Funding. A construction loan with permanent financing has been arranged with Infrastructure Ontario, which also provided financing for the Maple Grove Project. Haldimand County has been highly supportive of Capability, and is providing a grant of $250,000, guaranteeing the financing with Infrastructure Ontario and also providing the land at no cost through a 50-year ground lease.
Construction of the $3.2-million project is set to commence in late August/early September 2018, and the occupancy date is late 2019.
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Land Acknowledgement
At SHS we acknowledge the lands we are on are the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples and are now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that the location of our office in Toronto is covered by Treaty 13. In our work, we strive to continually reflect on our relationship to the land we are currently inhabiting and how our role as actors in the housing system can support the reconciliation process.