Ellwood and church leaders came together with federal, provincial and city representatives to celebrate the beginning of construction of the Ellwood House Extension that will more than double the capacity of the 37-year-old community residence.

The project is a partnership of Ellwood House, the St. Thomas the Apostle parish and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa, with funding from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Ontario government, the City of Ottawa and — the next challenge — a capital fundraising campaign.

The extension will be built on the site of the former St. Thomas rectory, which was demolished in early June along with land abatement, clearing the way for site plan approval by the City. The extension will have 38 one-bedroom units, six barrier-free and the rest fully visitable for those with accessibility needs.

The Rev Tim Kehoe, incumbent at St Thomas, told the gathering: “No single organization can accomplish work like this alone. It’s only possible through close collaboration among church and government partners, housing organizations, donors, volunteers, and community advocates.”

He said the ground-breaking event demonstrates what’s possible when people unite around a shared vision of the common good. “It’s simply part of the DNA of this place,” he said. “Ensuring respect and dignity for all, so that none are left behind.

“The soil we turn today represents more than construction – it represents lives that will be strengthened and futures that will be secured.”

Kehoe’s remarks resonated with subsequent speakers, the project’s partners.

Defence Minister David McGuinty, MP for Ottawa South, recalled being at the opening of Ellwood in 1988 with his late father, a former Ontario MPP for the area. “This is evidence of what we can do as a country when we work together,” he said, confirming $6.9 million in funding from the CMHC Affordable Housing Fund.

John Fraser, the current Ontario MPP for Ottawa South, paid tribute to the vision and determination of president Janice Horton and the Ellwood House board of directors. “Leadership is never losing sight of where you want to go. It takes vision and people to stick with it.” The Ontario Building Faster Fund provided $9.5 million.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the City of Ottawa is proud to work with the partners to make the project possible. The city provided significant pre-development funding as well as much support and advice throughout.

Bishop Kathryn Otley reminded everyone that three factors – aging, rent increases and fixed income – combine to create homelessness. “Ellwood House Extension offers seniors safe, affordable, permanent housing for independent living; just as importantly…a place to belong…that respects each person, a place to call home.”

Further supporting words came from Marty Carr, city councillor for Ward 18; Khurram Mirza, associate director at Turner and Townsend, project managers; Allessandro Guarna, vice-president of McDonald Brothers Construction; and James Colizza, founding partner of Colizza Bruni Architecture.

Colizza, who 40 years ago designed the original building deliberately facing St. Thomas church, referred to the campus as a vibrant intergenerational village, home to Braeside House, a residence for adults living with disabilities, the Bloom Centre for Early Learning and a city fire station in addition to Ellwood House and soon, the Extension.

In a special closing prayer Bishop Kathryn Otley of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa prayed for blessing upon board members and parish members. planners and builders, partners, funders and supporters.

“Bless all who shall live here:
grant them comfort in their days,
companionship in their evenings,
and joy in the sharing of life together.

“May their years be rich with memory and hope,
their hearts strengthened in faith,
and their lives upheld in your love.

“Make this community a sign of your kingdom—
where justice is cherished, where no one is left behind, and where each person is honoured as your beloved child.

“Guard this place from all harm;
fill it with kindness and laughter;
and let your presence dwell here continually…”

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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.

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Plans to more than double the capacity of Ellwood House, the affordable housing residence for seniors in Alta Vista, have entered the home stretch with the City of Ottawa’s approval of its Delegation of Authority report (DAR).

“The report is a significant milestone,” Janice Horton says. She is chair of Ellwood’s board of directors who have been working with St Thomas the Apostle parish, the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and the City of Ottawa for four years to make a vision a reality. “It means the City has considered our site plan application and has given the go-ahead to work out the conditions of our site plan agreement.”

The Ontario Planning Act allows municipalities to delegate decisions such as approval of site plans to staff in the interests of speeding up the approval process.

City Councillor Marty Carr has signed off on the site plan agreement, leaving the parish and the diocese to complete the process that is expected within weeks.

The directors are now seeking funding—likely close to $300,000—to complete architectural and planning work for building permits.  For guidance on funding sources, they turn to Cahdco, their project management team. Cahdco, the affordable housing developer and project consulting firm, has been instrumental in moving the project forward.

Horton emphasises that with Cahdco’s help, Ellwood, the parish and the diocese have enjoyed a close and beneficial working relationship to overcome complications and delays. “The parish and the church have been very supportive,” she says. “They started back in the mid-‘80s when low-income housing was little more than a catch-phrase.”

Ellwood House opened in 1989 with 30 units. The extension will add 38 new accessible one-bedroom apartments for seniors and an expanded patio and lounge as well as more parking and landscaping features. Colizza-Bruni Architecture, designers of the original award-winning building, are doing the extension.

Experience has shown that unexpected issues causing delay are part and parcel of affordable housing development. One such issue for Ellwood came as a result of a sensible decision to seek a zoning amendment, bringing two properties—the former rectory and the Ellwood House property—into one site.

This provided for one campus, allowing for improvements and alterations throughout. It also led to a lot of questions and testing by the City. An old oil tank, left over from years ago when a switch to gas heating was made, had to be remediated, slowing down the process.

The former rectory will soon be removed to make way for construction of the new building. The rectory itself has itself provided low-rental housing to one family for many years.

Pre-development funding to date has come from the City of Ottawa, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.

Capital financing is being sought from the City, CMHC and the Province of Ontario. In addition, hopes are high that a capital fundraising campaign, with a probable goal of $1 million, can be launched by the end of this year.

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