The Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board (RRDSSAB) announced several future community housing projects.
Dan McCormick, chief administrative officer at the RRDSSAB, said during the annual Rainy River District Municipal Association (RRDMA) meeting that they are working on two future projects: a rapid housing initiative and a co-investment fund. Both of these projects will be in partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
McCormick said these projects will be the second step after getting homeless individuals off the street and into a warming centre.
For the rapid housing initiative, two projects were submitted. The first project is a request for further development of the Apostolic Way Church and will cost $1 million. The implementation of this project will help in further developing the Apostolic Way Church which was purchased by RRDSSAB in October.
RRDSSAB has already worked on renovating the church by changing the flat roof at the back of the building to a sloped roof. McCormick said they are also looking to add a third floor to the church which would be office space for supporting programs for the building.
The second project is the investment and development of 24 beds of rapid housing in a hostel. This project will cost about $2.1 million.
The other initiative is a co-investment fund with CMHC that will see the renovation of St. Michael’s School, also recently purchased by RRDSSAB.
Part of this fund will go into developing 15 apartments for seniors 55 years or more. An Early ON child and Family Centre will also be based off St. Michael’s.
“There’s a lot of documents that show co-locating childcare centre for the seniors building and having seniors volunteering is a great benefit for the children as well,” McCormick said.
The renovation of the already built portion of St. Michael’s and the addition of the senior apartments, the child centre and the family centre will cost about $5.5 million, which includes the purchase of St. Michael’s itself.
McCormick said given the school itself does not occupy the full property, they will be adding five 8-plex units for the total of 40 units. Ten of them will be bachelor apartments, 10 one-bedroom accessible units and 20 one-bedroom apartments.
“Each unit consists of two bachelors on the bottom floor, two one-bedroom accessible on the bottom floor and four one-bedroom apartments on the second floor,” McCormick said.
McCormick said this project will be done in a piecemeal approach because it costs about $11.5 million in total.
