41 affordable housing units being built in Kitchener's St. Peter's Lutheran Church set to open next year

The Kitchener, Ont.-based Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church is making good progress on a project started more than a year ago to build dozens of new affordable housing units within the walls of St Peter's Lutheran Church.

Pastor Mark Ehlebracht said the congregation decided to take action after seeing how people in the community were being impacted by the ongoing housing crisis on a day-to-day basis. 

"There was a family of three living in an air vent behind the church and the congregation became a people of faith, as they always have been, but a people of faith who could no longer remain idle, and so they began the journey," Ehlebracht told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition.

That led to the church working to create "41 deeply affordable units with supports." The units are expected to be ready by fall of 2024.

Each apartment will be approximately 250 to 300 square feet and will range from studio-sized to one-bedroom flats. Washrooms, showers and a kitchenette will be included.

Caring for the most vulnerable

Lutheran Bishop Michael Pryse said the church did not enter the housing market to make money, adding they're pursuing a deeper experience of discipleship.

"We like to describe ourselves as being a church in mission for others and this is a powerful, tangible way that we can give expression to that and care for our neighbours, particularly those who are most vulnerable, so that's what's in it for us — a deeper experience of discipleship," Pryse said.

While noting the undertaking is an expensive one, Pryse said it's a collaborative effort with the congregation providing the land.

"There's government funding, of course, that comes in partnerships with municipal, federal funds, provincial funds, and frankly, we don't have the expertise to put these deals together. That's why we work with trusted partners like Indwell, like Kindred Works, who can do that work for us," he said.

Indwell is a Hamilton-based affordable housing developer, while Kindred Works is a collective that's building mixed-income rental housing and gathering spaces all over Canada.

Tackling province's housing crunch

Key players in Ontario's housing sector gathered virtually on Oct. 12 to highlight the problems perpetuating the housing crisis and discuss possible solutions.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, who took part in the summit, said his council is looking to "get out of the way" of development processes and allow more housing projects, along with rehabilitating the city's brownfields — land where past industrial or commercial activities may have left contamination — for affordable housing projects.

But following through on the city's plan has been made more complicated by the flurry of recent changes in provincial legislation, he said. The changes have "bogged" down staff who have to spend time on consultations and catching up with the latest directives instead of focusing on planning approvals and development, said Guthrie.

"Make whatever changes they're really looking at making, and then please leave us alone," he said in a message to the province.

Meanwhile, Ehlebracht's advice to other pastors who are thinking about building affordable housing is: "Go for it. Absolutely go for it. I mean, is it hard? Absolutely. Is it scary? You bet. But is it a calling? Most definitely.

"My advice would be, you know, this requires a lot of stamina and a lot of dedication and a lot of grit. But this is to which we are called."

Give me shelter: The hunt for housing in Waterloo region is a series by CBC Kitchener-Waterloo that hears from the people struggling to secure the housing they want and need. They might be making do with non-traditional housing: a tent, a room shared with multiple people or their parents' basement. We look at how the basic need for housing is not being met for many people in a rapidly growing region of Ontario.