Thursday, June 10, 2010

Saint Leonard's Society to build transitional housing project on Gottingen Street

Posted by Tim Bousquet on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM

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The Saint Leonard's Society will build a four-storey transitional housing complex on this empty lot on Gottingen Street, next to the Company House (left).

The Saint Leonard's Society will build a four-storey transitional housing complex on this empty lot on Gottingen Street, next to the Company House (left).

The operators of the Metro Turning Point homeless shelter are planning to build a four-storey transitional housing project on Gottingen Street, at the corner of Cunard, on what is now an empty lot next to the Company House bar.

Ross Cantwell, who is the brain behind several other Gottingen-area projects, says he has been working with the Saint Leonard's Society, which runs Turning Point. "They received some funding [from the federal government] to create supportive housing for the homeless," he explains.

"The whole idea is that if you go to a homeless shelter, some of the people that are there have hit a rough patch, and they're there for a night, a week, then they get their lives back on track. Unfortunately, there's another portion of that population that is just chronically homeless---they just live in a shelter."

Experience has shown that intervention in the chronically homeless' situation---outright providing housing---is far more effective both financially and in terms of helping change lives, than is providing lots of social services to people in shelters.

The Gottingen building will have 18 one-bedroom apartments (six on each of the upper three floors), with a full-time manager/social worker living on site. The ground floor will consist of retail space, which could be broken into up to three units. Cantwell thinks some the retail operations could provide job training for the residents. Cantwell expects construction will start by fall.

Tags: Gottingen Street, Saint Leonard's Society, Ross Cantwell

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Company House, Menz Bar, Seadogs and other area businesses need to tell council whether they think this is a good idea or not. If you want businesses to open up on Gottingen then you have to have a mix of incomes and so far all I'm seeing are people who will just scrape by each month.

Posted by voice_of_reason on June 16, 2010 at 6:31 PM | Report this comment

I think that this is a great opportunity for so many people who need it the most. Not only will this be a great affordable supportive environment, but there will be potential job opportunities available to those men whom may not be able to get a job anywhere else because they are in a shelter or on assitance. Too often to we turn our backs on those without homes, those with addictions, or people that generally differ from what or who we are used to. It's important to remember that the homeless or those less fortunate are people too- they've started out in life just as you and I have. Also, I think it's great that there's going to be more affordable housing being built instead of another condo that no one can afford.

Posted by LGBTerrific on June 16, 2010 at 3:13 AM | Report this comment

It's a shame they are building it here. Gottingen area was on a turn around with people buying up properties, renovating them nicely, and turning around the whole area. I agree, property values will drop because of this.

Posted by sebastian_ on June 15, 2010 at 11:59 AM | Report this comment

Meh. It's not next to my place so I don't care. Already enough halfway houses and crack houses here.

Posted by sodeypop on June 13, 2010 at 3:57 AM | Report this comment