Construction of a second-stage supportive housing project for Faye Peterson House is well underway, with an opening set for 2026.
The project, which has been in development since 2016, is designed specifically for survivors of intimate partner violence working with Faye Peterson House.
Debbie Zweep, executive director of Faye Peterson House, said the structure will be an eight-plex, with one one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom units.
“DRD Construction Services is our contractor, Smart Modular Canada is our manufacturer and I4 Architecture is also working with us,” she said. “We applied for our permit before the City’s One Stop Development Shop was up and running, and I can say the City has been great to work with on this project with no delays.”
This past March, the organization held its Hold Her Hand Gala, a Paris-themed night of elegance at Evoke Salon and Spa, which served as a key fundraising initiative for the Faye Peterson House expansion project.
Zweep says Faye Peterson is what they call a first-stage shelter or a crisis shelter. The organization used property they had behind the original shelter to construct the eight-unit housing development that will serve as a second phase for the women they work with, to live with them a little longer. This way, the women receive the services they require while being in a safe place.
The cement for the foundation was poured at the beginning of this month and work on the first apartment began at Smart Modular Canada at the end of August.
Smart Modular Canada founder and president Bill Bolton said there will be 10 pre-built modules that will be assembled as two stories.
“All those components go together to make one building,” Bolton said. “We stack them up with a crane, and then we do all the interconnects. When they leave our building, the flooring and drywall are all done, and even the towel racks are on the wall. It’s pretty much finished in each one of the units, and then we just do the interconnects on the job site. It goes rather quickly once we get them there.”
Bolton said the process happens pretty fast.
“It’ll take us about four or five days to have the entire building in place and then we’ll put the roof on,” he said. “Part of the roof will be built in the factory, and the rest of the roof underneath it will be protected with a rubber coating that can remain there for the life of the building.”
The 10 modular units will complete eight apartments.
Bolton says their factory is a perfect facility for them to build this type of project.
“We’re on an assembly line, and it’s all in the planning and the drawings,” he said. “Once we execute it, it goes through with a lot of the automation and the expertise of 60 skilled people to put that together with quality and good craftsmanship.”
Bolton says they will ship the completed units to the job site in December and continue to connect and finish the interior work through January and February.
