Officials at Sprucelawn site in St. Jacobs to note federal funding
AN EXPANSION THAT
WILL PROVIDE 28 new units in St. Jacobs and 30 in Plattsville are the product of $7 million in federal funding for seniors’ housing marked last week by Kitchener-Conestoga MP Tim Louis.
He was at the Sprucelawn Apartments for Seniors in St. Jacobs last Friday. That project, now nearing completion, received $4.8 million through Ottawa’s Housing Fund.
“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home,” Louis said.
“By supporting projects like these, our government is helping seniors keep a strong and active presence in the communities they call home.”
The Sprucelawn project, now part of Beyond Housing’s portfolio, also received $3.1 million from the Region of Waterloo, including $1.45 million from the region’s strategic investment affordable housing fund.
“This project at
Sprucelawn is an example of what is possible when we work together to create caring communities,”
said regional Chair Karen Redman.
“The Region of Waterloo continues to do the important work to address affordable homes in our rural communities. We know we cannot do this alone. We will continue to work alongside municipal colleagues at Woolwich Township, not for profits like beyond housing, and our federal partners who share this common goal of homes for all.”
According to Redman, the region is now 94 per cent of the way to its of building 2,500 new affordable homes in five years under its Building Better Futures plan.
Dan Driedger, executive director of Beyond Housing, said that with the expansion, the non-profit now provides space for
298 households in the region, with 91 of those being in Woolwich.
The organization is still looking to raise about $300,000 for the Sprucelawn project, he added.
“We know we’ll get there because of the strong support that we have from within this community,” he said.
Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz said housing is an
issue that is frequently brought to her attention by residents.
“One of the complaints that I hear regularly is that people want to continue to live in our communities, but they can’t find housing that they want, particularly as we all age and our needs change. So that ranges from condos to affordable and attainable housing. Sprucelawn is a grassroots community led project that’s been providing affordable housing for 40 years,” she said
“I can’t emphasize enough the importance of our local residents and grassroots organizations that take on projects like this to partner with people like our federal government, and our region and bring housing to our area.”
The Affordable Housing Fund is part of the federal government’s national housing strategy, an $82billion plan.
The Plattsville project includes 30 newly constructed homes for seniors that are accessible and energy efficient. Three of the units will be dedicated to women fleeing domestic violence.