THUNDER BAY — The Ontario Aboriginal Housing Service is acquiring city-owned property adjacent to the parcel already donated by the city, to enable it to expand its proposed transitional housing project for younger adults.
The 58-unit facility, to be located on Junot Avenue near the Superior North EMS base, now carries an estimated construction price tag of over $12 million.
Last year, during negotiations with the city, OAHS initially proposed a 20-room, $3.6 million facility on a parcel about 1.15 acres in size, followed at some point by more units to be added in stages.
The planning department considered 20 units to be "underutilization" for a property that large, so city council granted only a portion of it.
In an interview Wednesday with Tbnewswatch, OAHS Executive-Director Justin Marchand explained that his group subsequently reviewed its options and decided to proceed with the entire development rather than build it in phases.
According to a city official, the Ontario Aboriginal Housing Service is now in the process of purchasing the whole parcel of land but the parties have not settled on the price as yet.
Marchand said OAHS has "unique financing" for the project, comprised of a combination of public funding and private financing.
"The capital portion will be privately-financed. There is public financing to assist with some of the operations," specifically the province, he said.
Marchand said the provincial funding is already committed, and that will leverage the private-sector contribution.
Construction could start, he speculated, by next spring.
OAHS has partnered with other Indigenous groups to plan the centre
According to Marchand, OAHS is working with the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, the Ontario Native Women's Association, and the Metis Nation of Ontario to develop plans for the facility.
That planning includes consultations with Indigenous people experiencing homelessness in the community.
Clients of the project, he said, would be comprised of individuals who are "older teens and up."
Marchand said a similar, 20-unit transitional housing development opened last year in Sioux Lookout has brought "absolutely fantastic" feedback from its clients who now have stability in their lives.
He said agencies such as ambulance services and police also say they have noticed a decrease in calls for service.
"When people have the stability they need, it helps them move forward. When that development was first proposed, there were some concerns, not dissimilar from what we are hearing from a minority in Thunder Bay. But once people understand the facts, the programs and the positive outcomes, we see a real shift in perspectives."
City councillor says project expansion came as 'a big shock'
Objectors to the Junot Avenue project include city councillors Brian McKinnon and Albert Aiello.
McKinnon, the ward councillor for the area, said "I'm upset. I voted against it from the beginning because I think it's absolutely in the wrong place."
Expanding the project's size, McKinnon said, "is going to be very, very difficult for that whole area."
Noting that the the Thunder Bay Boys & Girls Clubs and two schools would be "in the backyard," he said "these are adults we're talking about who are going to be going through drug rehab, mental health issues...It comes down to 'Is there a better spot?' We think so."
The Red River ward councillor also singled out other parts of the surrounding area.
"Across the street you've got some sketchy areas that have drug houses. That neighbourhood is trying to pick up its image and we're working on that and the people are really upset...This should probably be in a somewhat more isolated area."
McKinnon's concerns were echoed by Aiello, the McIntyre councillor who manages the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Aiello said it came as "a big shock" when the project grew by almost three times the initial proposal.
"This is a transition home which caters to adults, 18 to 29 years of age, and they share a lot of the characteristics that would deem them at risk. To have it in such close proximity to a children's recreation centre and schools is, to me, just not good judgment," he said.
Aiello described the centre as "not a good fit" for the immediate area, and said there are at least three other pieces of city property that would be more appropriate.
