Supportive housing group transforms boardroom into seniors bedroom
NEW YORK: A supportive housing group has found a creative way to start housing seniors down on their luck.
Supportive Housing of Waterloo transformed a small communal kitchen and an unused boardroom at its 144 Erb St. E. building into a home for a senior citizen.
An occupancy certificate is the last step before the new tenant can move into the bachelor apartment, which Gael Gilbert, the organization’s executive director, hopes will be processed early this month.
“We couldn’t have done it without the support from the community,” said Gilbert.
The bachelor apartment was made possible through $42,645 in donations from last year’s Giving Tuesday, a national day in which people are encouraged to donate to charity.
As one of three buildings owned and run by Supportive Housing of Waterloo, the now 25 units provide affordable housing for seniors, with an average rent of $640, said Gilbert.
They have been able to keep rent low with strict budgeting and by using volunteers for jobs such as painting hallways, said Gilbert.
Supports for tenants such as a mobile hearing clinic, walking aids and the installing of a lift in the building are in progress.
“Sometimes someone’s TV is blasting and that’s consistent and I’m wondering if we could bring in a mobile hearing clinic because it seems that some of them have challenges,” said Gilbert.
Supportive Housing of Waterloo operates two other buildings — 362 Erb St. W. has 30 units, and 402 Erb St. W. has nine units.
The organization bought the building at 144 Erb St. E. from the Kitchener Waterloo Civitan Club for $2.4 million, which had owned and operated it since the 1970s.
In June 2020, the City of Waterloo subsidized this purchase with a grant of $200,000.
“We were very aware that if it was purchased by a development company, chances were it would be torn down and it would be a prime site for a condo and the people in there might lose their housing. They’re all seniors,” said Gilbert.
