THUNDER BAY — Fundraising is about to start for a new project on the grounds of the Suomi Koti apartment building in County Park.
The board of directors will soon announce details of a building campaign to construct a second 60-unit independent-living seniors facility on the same property.
The current 60-unit complex on County Boulevard was opened in 1988 by the non-profit Suomi Koti Inc. to provide low-cost accommodations for seniors.
Suomi Koti's original funding came from the federal and Ontario governments.
Since 2001, however, it has been funded and governed by the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board.
The current average age of its residents is 80.
Nearly two-thirds of the tenants have a Finnish ethnic background.
Suomi Koti, translated from Finnish, means "Finland home".
The existing three-storey complex offers a range of services including a sauna, exercise room, craft rooms, library common room with kitchen facilities, and a garden area where tenants may plant vegetables or flowers.
