More options for seniors housing could soon be coming to Fort Frances.
The Age Friendly Committee has been in contact with Ben Cohen of Westmount Direct Ltd. out of Winnipeg, who is interested in building two separate apartment buildings along Colonization Road West on the east side of Flinders Place.
Each building would have 20 units–approximately 800 square feet in size–and would be for seniors.
“The Age Friendly Community Committee is trying to . . . firm up some plans as to how we might go about building it,” said Age Friendly Committee member June Caul. “It’s not a done deal yet.”
She said it’s important to note that it is not the Town of Fort Frances who would be building the new apartments, it would be done by the Age Friendly Committee.
“We can’t justify using taxpayers money for something like that but I do know the town will certainly help in any way they can as far as in-kind help,” Caul noted.
This might include sewer/water setup, helping with taxes owed on the property, or giving a tax cut for a few years as the town has done in the past.
While Cohen wants to build the two apartments, he doesn’t want to manage or operate the facility, so the Age Friendly Committee is currently looking for somebody to take the project on as an owner/manager.
Before a proposal is drafted and brought forward to council, the Age Friendly Committee is going to send out a survey to get public feedback on what they’d like to see built on the Flinders Place property.
“There’s lots of chances of rent-to-own. We could do full outright ownership or do a live lease if that’s what people want,” Caul noted. “All of those things still have to be figured out.”
With the survey the Age Friendly Committee will be able to also gauge if anyone local would be interested in managing or putting up the building.
If the units are rentals, right now they’re looking at $1,500 a month apartments but it could be less depending on what comes of the survey, Caul noted.
“What we want to have in the building will have an effect on how much it costs but it’s not going to be one of these big high end apartments where people can’t afford them,” she remarked.
Caul is hopeful about the project and said it is much needed, as there are limited rental and housing space available in the district currently.
When the Assisted Living Action Group did their survey close to six years ago, they found the need for 100 apartment units in town.
“We’ve got a lot of seniors, including myself who are at the point now where it’s too difficult to look after their own house and property,” Caul said.
“There’s a lot of people who have been looking for an apartment building for years.
“In fact, we’ve had people who had to move away because there’s nothing here,” she added.
Caul also noted that the town is home to many “snowbirds” who would like to sell their house and have an apartment they can rent for six months of the year when they’re not staying somewhere warm.
Ideally, Caul said she’d like to see the new apartments start out as independent housing but add on a kitchen and dining facility in the future.
“A lot of the seniors, they don’t eat properly and trust me I know what it’s like; it’s not fun when you live by yourself and have to cook for yourself,” Caul explained.
The board at Flinders Place is offering up the east side property free of charge but no longer wants be involved in the management of Flinders Place or the new development.
Caul said they’re hoping to pass the torch to a group or person who would be solely responsible for operating the buildings.
The Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board also has a management position at Flinders Place currently and it is possible they might be interested in fully taking on management or building of the new apartments, Caul noted.
There’s also potential for the new apartment units to be purchased outright in advance to finance the building.
Once the Age Friendly Committee’s surveys are distributed and published Caul said they will have a much better idea of where they stand.
