Ontario Construction News staff writer
MennoHomes, St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Parents for Community Living (PCL) are working together on a project to create affordable housing units in the Kitchener area.
Phase 1 will include construction of a five-story apartment building with 48 living units, worship space for St. Paul’s, a community room and kitchen for PCL, and a mix of shared and dedicated meeting space for the three partners and community groups. The location at the intersection of Bridgeport and Lancaster, in northeast Kitchener, provides easy access to many facilities.
“Partnership is the way forward for not-for-profit organizations today. Not only does collaboration spread the work and cost, but it also fosters creative problem-solving and innovation. MennoHomes’ new project at Bridgeport and Lancaster is a partnership with St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Parents for Community Living,” Menno Homes says on its website.
MennoHomes Inc. is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 2001.
They have built 105 rental housing units within Waterloo Region. These are a mix of single unit apartments for seniors, family duplexes, and multi-bedroom housing.
For each project, construction costs – expected to exceed $15 million – are paid by a combination of government grants, private donations and a mortgage.
MennoHomes is looking to raise $5 million to cover their contribution to the project. walkathon.
In 2019 vacancy rates fell to 2 per cent in the region and an estimated 5,000 households are on waiting lists.
St. Paul’s was built in 1956 and in 2015 the church began to explore a new model that would be sustainable for the congregation and continue to serve community needs.