A new sign has been installed outside the Ellwood House property on Braeside Avenue in Alta Vista. Ellwood directors call it “the sign of progress,” advertising as it does, the support of the City of Ottawa and the provincial government for the construction of 38 affordable units for seniors.
After pandemic-related and unforeseen delays the project has successfully overcome a series of hurdles.
Negotiations with the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and St. Thomas the Apostle parish for a long-term (55-year) lease have been completed. The lease has been approved by a special St. Thomas vestry meeting and the diocese and submitted to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
CMHC has to approve the lease as a condition for the mortgage funding for which Ellwood has applied. This will complete governmental support, with a shortfall to be covered by a capital fundraising campaign.
Earlier, Ellwood secured $9.5 million in capital funding, originally through CMHC’s Housing Accelerator Fund. However, the funds are administered by the city and the city decided to finance it from the Ontario Building Faster Fund as advertised on the “sign of progress.”
“The city has given us so much help, support and advice,” Janice Horton, president of the Ellwood board says. “It is really involved in this and other housing projects.”
The support includes additional $372,000 in pre-development funding, allowing for the completion of architectural drawings, finalization and submitting the application for a building permit.
Looking ahead, following demolition of the old rectory, existing utility connections will be upgraded as required by the site plan to correct deficiencies and expand services for the entire campus. It’s detailed work that will take months to complete, but it will be a visible sign of continuing progress.
The extension, intended to help meet ever-growing demand, will more than double the capacity of Ellwood House which has provided safe and affordable housing for seniors since 1987.
Church of the Ascension, Ottawa — Deanery of Central Ottawa