A former church in Kitchener will make way for 43 affordable housing units.
Over $1.4 million from the federal and provincial governments will help convert the former St. Mark’s Lutheran Church into new supportive housing for lower-income households.
Now known as St. Mark’s Place, this project is located at 825 King Street West and includes 24 one-bedroom units and 19 studios. Amenities in this new facility include a laundry room, a tenant common room, a community kitchen, gathering areas, and a multi-use community space. This supportive housing project is serving tenants with higher acuity needs who were previously experiencing homelessness, therefore health services and addictions support will also be available on site.
“The St. Mark’s Place development by Indwell, was the last project announcement made before the initial COVID-19 lockdown. Today’s announcement demonstrates Canada and Ontario’s ongoing recovery efforts and is an excellent example of what can happen when all orders of government and community partners work together in an effort to end homelessness and create truly affordable and supportive housing,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.
Construction of the project is expected to be completed by Fall 2023.
This investment was made possible by the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI); an initiative of the Canada-Ontario Bilateral Agreement under the National Housing Strategy.
The federal government National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious, 10-year plan that will invest over $82+ billion to give more Canadians a place to call home.
OPHI is a program under the CMHC-Ontario Bilateral Agreement. This 10-year agreement provides more than $5.75 billion to protect, renew and expand community housing; support Ontario’s priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability; and deliver direct affordability support to Ontarians who need housing. OPHI provides flexible funding to address local housing priorities and improve access to affordable housing options. The initiative helps to increase the affordable housing supply and improve the state of repair of community housing stock.
“The support of all levels of governments is critical to creating new supportive housing like St Mark’s Place here in Kitchener, but also across the province and country. We’re thankful for each of the 43 individuals who are looking forward to finding a supportive home here, and for each staff member and each partner who will wrap support and services around them to create a community and help each one make St. Mark’s Place their permanent home,” added Indwell CEO Jeff Neven.
CEO, Indwell
