Part of Health and Homelessness Whole of Community Response
London City Council has approved next steps for a new highly supportive housing project announced earlier this year, which will redevelop a former long-term care home located at 46 Elmwood Place into 50 new highly supportive housing units, through an innovative approach initiated by four of the city’s major developers.
Council has approved the project’s proposed funding sources as well as the proposed service provider, Indwell Community Homes (“Indwell”), meaning work on the building can start as early as this summer, aiming for completion in 2025.
The project was initiated by Developing for Change, a partnership between four of the city’s major developers – The Tricar Group, Drewlo Holdings Inc., Auburn Group and Sifton Properties Limited – and was advanced as a unique private-public partnership with Indwell.
Capital costs to re-develop the property at 46 Elmwood Place will come from the community-led Health and Homelessness Fund for Change (“Fund for Change”) managed by London Community Foundation in the amount of $4M, as well as the Government of Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund, with a one-time contribution up to a limit of $2.04M.
An approximate $1.7M in one-time operational costs will also come from the Fund for Change, and the City of London will contribute an annual housing supplement investment of up to $500,000 per year, through the rent supplements program approved by Council as part of the 2024-2027 multi-year budget.
Highly supportive housing is a critical part of the Whole of Community System Response, providing 24/7 onsite support to assist individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness to achieve long-term housing stability. Highly supportive housing helps individuals with the highest, most complex needs by offering affordable housing that is combined with supportive services, such as mental health care, addiction treatment, educational resources, employment counselling and emergency food services.
In April 2024, London City Council endorsed a plan that will help bring 600 new highly supportive housing units to London over the next three years. London’s Health and Homelessness Response: Highly Supportive Housing Plan sets specific standards and expectations while serving as a guide for future highly supportive housing projects within the community.
Since March 2023 when Council endorsed the Whole of Community System Response, 93 new highly supportive housing units have been established. The latest project at 46 Elmwood Place will bring the total to 143 highly supportive housing units.
“The federal government has been working with municipalities across the country to incentivize the construction of more housing. The City of London has been a supportive partner in this important work, and our collaboration will continue to make housing more affordable for those who need it the most in our city.” – Arielle Kayabaga, Member of Parliament for London-West
“The federal government is dedicated to supporting Canadians with their housing needs. That is why we introduced the Housing Accelerator Fund. This program encourages local initiatives to build more homes, faster, in return for federal investment. This is a great example of the type of housing it can support because building much-needed highly supportive housing will address an unmet need in London and strengthen the community as a whole.” – Peter Fragiskatos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities, and Member of Parliament for London North Centre
“We heard from the community that to effectively respond to the health and homelessness crisis, we need a range of housing options – in particular, highly supportive housing with 24/7 on-site care. We felt this was an area where we could contribute, and we’re pleased to be moving this project forward.” – Jamie Crich, Auburn Group, Developing for Change Partner
“We’re proud to be contributing a solution that will strengthen our community, by using our collective experience to meet the critical need for highly supportive housing in our city. With the right kind of housing, we can truly make a difference.” – Richard Sifton, Sifton Properties Limited, Developing for Change Partner
“The challenges facing our city will take all of us working together in ways we haven’t before. The Developing for Change came about because we all care deeply about our community and knew that together we could have a meaningful impact.” – Allan Drewlo, Drewlo Holdings Inc., Developing for Change Partner
“We learned through our participation at the Health and Homelessness Summits that it’s not enough to help people come indoors – we need to help them stay housed, with a range of supports and services. Highly supportive housing is a solution that we know works, and we’re proud to be bringing this project forward.” – Adam Carapella, The Tricar Group, Developing for Change Partner
“Developing for Change is bringing forward an innovative private-public partnership model for bringing highly supportive housing to some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and they’re demonstrating that this can actually work. It is my hope that more private partners will come forward to become part of the solution.” – Mayor Josh Morgan
"The Fund for Change is intended to support London’s most marginalized unhoused people by helping them get the right health care and the right housing support. This new highly supportive housing initiative means more lives will be changed, more people will be living safely indoors, and our community will be stronger for it.” – Diane Silva, London Community Foundation
“This is a place where residents' health and housing needs can be met through onsite support services, and where they can feel safe. We’re already seeing the life-changing impact of highly supportive housing in London, and we look forward to bringing these homes to 50 more Londoners.” – Natasha Thuemler, Regional Director, Indwell
Above: A former long-term care home at 46 Elmwood Place will undergo construction to redevelop the building into 50 new highly supportive housing units.
Housing Accelerator Fund
The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is helping cut red tape and fast track at least 100,000 permitted new homes over the first three years, which cities and regions estimate will lead to the creation of over 750,000 permitted new homes for people in towns, cities, and Indigenous communities across Canada over the next decade. It asks for innovative action plans from local governments, and once approved, provides upfront funding to ensure the timely building of new homes, as well as additional funds upon delivering results. Local governments are encouraged to think big and be bold in their approaches, which could include accelerating project timelines, allowing increased housing density, and encouraging affordable housing units.
Launched in March 2023, the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a $4 billion initiative from the Government of Canada that will run until 2026-27.
The Housing Accelerator Fund is part of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS), an $82+ billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home. Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly at www.placetocallhome.ca. The Housing Funding Initiatives Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed.
London’s approved application provides a housing target of 2,187 additional units between 2024-2026 for eligibility of up to $74,058,143.00 under the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Health and Homelessness Fund for Change
Fueled by a transformative commitment of $25 million, with an additional $5 million matching fund, by a London family who wishes to remain anonymous, the Health & Homelessness Fund for Change supports the implementation of London’s whole-of-community response to the crisis of homelessness in our community. The Fund for Change is administered by London Community Foundation.
Developing for Change
Developing for Change is a collaboration of four local builders and developers: The Tricar Group, Auburn Group, Drewlo Holdings Inc., and Sifton Properties Limited. Recognizing the significance of ‘home’ in the London community, their objective is to identify and support opportunities for community development. Bringing together decades of local construction expertise and shared community-oriented values, Developing for Change strives to make a lasting impact by fostering sustainable and thriving communities in the London area.
Developing for Change is advancing an innovative model for highly supportive housing development at 46 Elmwood Place, in which the private sector assists the non-profit sector by taking on the real and financial risks of development prior to transferring the property to an identified service provider when occupancy has been granted under the building permit.
Indwell
Indwell Community Homes (“Indwell”) is the largest in-house developer of purpose-build, permanent, affordable, supportive housing in Ontario, and has been an active participant in the Whole of Community Response. Indwell delivers person-centred, housing-focused supports in many of their existing programs and their organizational history and practices are grounded in working with individuals emerging from institutions, homelessness, or precarious housing who are challenged by mental health and addictions. Indwell manages Embassy Commons, a 72-unit supportive housing complex in Old East Village, as well as Thompson Road Apartments.
About the Health and Homelessness Whole of Community System Response
London, like many cities in Canada, is facing a health and homelessness crisis. In 2023 Londoners came together from organizations and sectors across the city and developed the Health & Homelessness Whole of Community System Response – a new way to support the most marginalized Londoners experiencing homelessness and reduce strain on our health care and judicial systems. The approach being implemented by the Whole of Community System Response is to help Londoners with the highest needs move safely inside; help them get stabilized, wrap around them with supports, connect them to the right type of housing, and help them stay housed.
City Council endorsed the Whole of Community System Response approach in March of 2023. Since then, two hubs have been established, as well as 93 highly supportive housing units, with 50 more units in development, toward a goal of 600 highly supportive housing units within three years. The City’s plans for hubs and housing were shaped by previous community engagement sessions held in summer and fall of 2023.
For more information on the Whole of Community System Response, visit: london.ca
The proposed London’s Health & Homelessness Response: Community Encampment Response Plan pertains to encampments in public spaces such as park land and parking lots owned by the City of London. The Plan is focused on a basic needs and human rights-based approach to supporting encampments and outlines transactional outreach, transitional services, and support for pathways to transformational housing.