Right at Home Housing Society, The Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, the Stollery Charitable Foundation, the Westmount Presbyterian Church, and the Community of North Glenora celebrate together, moving forward in the construction of 16 new affordable town homes and a new community centre providing daycare and worship space in the community.
Putting the shovels to the ground! From left to right: Annabelle Wallace of the Westmount Presbytarian Church, Ward 6 City Councillor Scott McKeen, Executive Director Jeff Bryson of the Stollery Charitable Foundation, Ali Madhi of the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, President Ryan Young of the North Glenora Community League, Peter Amerongen of Habitat Studio, Hon. Sarah Hoffman MLA, and Executive Director Cam McDonald of Right at Home Housing Society
“We want to celebrate the fact that community, affordable housing providers, and key stakeholders (including the faith based community and philanthropic community) can work together and bring forward great community-based affordable housing that fits well in communities, is accepted in communities, and can do more than simply provide affordable housing. This project will positively impact the community as a whole. It will bring a diverse group of new families into the community. The project will provide a new community centre and church – that includes a new daycare facility, bolster enrollment at the local neighbourhood school, and provide new additional space for community based activities,” explains Cam McDonald, Executive Director of the Right At Home Housing Society.
As a charitable, community based non-profit housing provider, Right at Home Housing Society will re-invest any surplus cash flow back into the project and into the community. Moreover, there will be opportunity to ensure that families have a rent that they can afford, so they can more fully participate in our communities, and have the resources they need to ensure their children have the opportunity to have a great future in our society.
The housing will be developed on the land of the Westmount Presbyterian Church, which is leased to Right at Home Housing Society (for a nominal sum) for 52 years. The Church has been supporting refugee families in the community, and it is a great fit that the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers will select and support many of the families that will be living in the new housing units.
The new buildings will incorporate environmentally responsible design and the townhomes will be Canada’s very first net zero multi-family residential development of this size. Habitat Studio – a locally owned, award winning homebuilder, will be managing construction and are pleased to support excellent not for profit housing initiatives that benefit our community.
Our official ground-breaking ceremony took place June 17 2016, with much support from the community. Right at Home Housing Society has been granted its permit for construction, and should start the building of the new project in the first two weeks of July 2016.
Staff and children from Sunrise Learning Childcare Centre and Coronation School came in support of the new neighbourhood project on June 17 2016
