Making Home at NinetySeven Victoria (83-97 Victoria St N) | 1-3 fl | Complete

[ac3r]

The Working Centre is proposing a mixed use project at 83 to 97 Victoria Street North. They are working with Perimeter Development and BNKC Architecture + Urban Design. Currently, 83 Victoria is their Community Dental Clinic which provides dental services to the homeless, 87-91 Victoria contain properties they use for various purposes (namely their Hospitality House) and 97 Victoria houses Psychiatric Outreach Project, St. John's Kitchen and A Second Look. They also own a small parcel on the opposite side of Heit Lane which is used for parking (though usually has people sleeping in tents there).

The project plans to add a 3rd floor to the 97 Victoria Street building to add 22 units of affordable housing. The 2nd floor will contain an additional 22 units of transitional housing for individuals transitioning from homelessness to having an apartment. 26% of rooms are to be wheelchair accessible. Rent prices will be entirely dependent on the resident's income level.

St. John's Kitchen will be housed in a new addition, specifically in a contemporary building fronting Heit Lane including a rooftop garden and patio on the building. The Hospitality House will remain in 87-91 Victoria but receive a redesign and upgrades to the existing building. A medical clinic, gym, bicycle storage, convenience store, a common room for music/film performances are planned and a central courtyard will be included in the centre of the project with benches, a fountain, trees and shade structures.

Zoned D6, the property zoning is applicable to the proposal. Construction is anticipated to begin December 2023 so all that remains is to acquire adequate funding.

[ac3r]

Additional images of the proposal:

[jwilliamson]

I see they're not wasting any money trying to make it look good.

[tomh009]

Super happy to see this. The Working Centre is awesome.

[Chris]

I see they're not wasting any money trying to make it look good.

I'm sure the extra cost to look nicer is not a priority for them. They run on grants and donations.

https://donate.theworkingcentre.org/

[nms]

Given their limited budget, the conceptual drawings look pretty good compared to some of the other projects that have been proposed from developers with presumably deeper pockets.

[ac3r]

I see they're not wasting any money trying to make it look good.

I'm sure the extra cost to look nicer is not a priority for them. They run on grants and donations.

https://donate.theworkingcentre.org/

I have a breakdown of major contributions I can post later. A few generous organisations have donated significant chunks of money towards this which will help. They are of course still accepting donations from the general public to help as well through the link you posted.

[ac3r]

I'm sure the extra cost to look nicer is not a priority for them. They run on grants and donations.

https://donate.theworkingcentre.org/

I have a breakdown of major contributions I can post later. A few generous organisations have donated significant chunks of money towards this which will help. They are of course still accepting donations from the general public to help as well through the link you posted.

I forgot to update this. I've now lost the file I had but off the top of my head I recall Perimeter Development has donated 1 million dollars already, Vidyard has also contributed a significant amount and there are many other donors (most of which have chosen not to be named).

[ac3r]

It appears they have started construction on this. Both interior work and the steel frame for the additional floor has been erected on the roof.

[ac3r]

This project has finally been completed. I got to take a look around the project recently and it's a great new facility which will have a huge positive social impact on the community. The features they've chosen to include are really good and the architectural design of the existing and new buildings really offer a nice atmosphere. I really like the warmth you feel inside the St. John's Kitchen area, which is emphasized with the material choices they went with - lots of wood, light, contemporary finishes but without feeling exceptionally sterile. The large windows really let in a lot of light, with a nice view to the courtyard which also provides visitors a semi-secluded space (and it does a good job mitigating the noise of Weber Street). Today is the first official day of its opening with a donor recognition event taking place, although it isn't yet fully operational.

The Working Centre, bnkc architects and Perimeter Development will be hosting a public open house this Saturday (the 27th) if you want to check it out. They'll have guided tours between 10 AM to 2 PM or you can just pop in and check out the new buildings, outdoor spaces and landscape architecture.

[Momo26]

Very good. Is any of this going to be utilized to house those in TentCity?

[ac3r]

Potentially, at least for the actual "A Better Tent City" and not the encampment across the street. It would of course depend on the individuals that would be applying to live there. They did build 40+ transitional/supportive housing here. I could certainly see some of those individuals being able to move into this space, especially those who have made significant progress to improving their situation. But alas, 44 (?) beds isn't a whole lot so it won't have a real big impact, but an impact nonetheless. For a project that was almost entirely funded by the community it still offers something, though. A shame we can't better utilize our tax money to build 440 housing units...

Those living across the street in the encampment are not yet ready to live in a place like this (or even A Better Tent City), but at the very least it will provide some assistance. St. John's Kitchener has a beautiful new space there with an ability to serve up to 600+ meals a day. It also has stuff like medical care (a clinic, dental services), outreach services, free public washrooms and showers, a place to shelter from cold and rain, community events and should also offer a more stable sense of community. I'm sure they'll utilize it often given the vicinity, so long as they are able to behave and respect the space.