Vacant retirement home could house families staying in hotels

A vacant former retirement home in Nepean could soon become transitional housing for families without permanent homes.

Ottawa city council is expected to vote Wednesday on whether city staff should pursue a lease agreement for the four-storey, 170-unit building at 1 Corkstown Rd. in Crystal Beach, near Andrew Haydon Park.

For Keith Chadwick, who has lived in the area since 1976, finding a use for the building is overdue.

"Every day that building sits empty is immoral," said Chadwick, who spoke as a delegate at the city's finance and corporate services committee meeting Tuesday.

"We have refugee families … I can think of no better place for young children to wake up and finally feel bloody safe — maybe for the first time in their lives."

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Unlike emergency shelters where stays are intended to be less than 30 days, transitional housing allows families to stay for longer before eventually moving into long-term housing.

The city's family shelter system includes four permanent facilities that accommodate a total of about 100 families, according to city staff.

Those facilities have been full for the last decade and are currently at 333 per cent capacity — some 235 families in Ottawa stay in hotels, motels and post-secondary residences every night, according to city staff.

Leasing the Crystal Beach property is part of the city's efforts to transition families more quickly to housing.

The city's long-range financial plan estimated a new 40- to 50-room transitional family housing facility would cost $15 million, but an increase in construction and borrowing costs has staff currently updating that number.

Right size, zoning and location

City staff said the city learned about the vacant building in late August and are recommending it be converted.

The building is in a condition that will allow for immediate occupancy, it's neither too small nor too large, it's already zoned for the service and it's currently vacant so it won't displace anyone, they said.

It's also located in an area with access to transit, amenities and, importantly, the property owner is interested in partnering with the city.

Should the building become transitional housing, it will combine residential spaces with social supports, such as life skills training and education.

The building has the appropriate amenities to fill that purpose, staff said, including individual rooms with both private bathrooms and shared spaces — conditions that aren't present in the current overflow facilities, noted Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

"We've heard about large families staying in one motel room with one bathroom, no kitchen. You know, that's not what we want their experience to be," Sutcliffe said after the committee meeting Tuesday.

The city is not disclosing financial details until the lease agreement is reached. If council approves the report, the city's corporate real estate office will finalize lease negotiations and report back to finance committee on the lease.

Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, who represents the area, said the pace with which staff moved through the process made it difficult to communicate the situation to residents, some of whom feel caught off guard by the city's plan.

Staff said it was important to move quickly to address the homelessness emergency.

Chadwick said although he's seen some opposition to the effort, he's been pushing for the city to put the building to use — and do it soon.

"It's sitting there. It's being heated. It's got power. And we're not using it," he said. "We need to use it, quick."