The Rev. Canon Ken Davis is ending his decade of ministry at St. James the Apostle Perth with the mixed emotions of disappointment and gratification.
Disappointment to be leaving before the 15-unit affordable housing project in central Perth that St. James initiated is completed but gratification in knowing all barriers have been overcome.
“I was hoping that by the time I reached retirement I would see people moving in,” he says. He retires on July 1, about the same time as the contractor, the Saumure Group, connects the property to utilities. Construction is due to begin soon afterwards.
While he can’t imagine more roadblocks encountered over four years — Covid-19, repeated delays at town hall, neighbourhood opposition — “thank God, the project is moving forward; that is gratifying,” he said.
The project arose out of St. James’s success in meeting the challenge of the Syrian refugee crisis back in 2015. Homes were found for four families and several adults.
Incredible as it may seem, that initiative drew criticism. Davis says he was asked, “Why can’t we do more to help people right here? There are lots of people who need our help.”
He and David Kroetsch, chair of St. James Outreach Committee, began putting together a small group with modest objectives: finding and renovating suitable housing, perhaps a “tiny home” like another in Lanark County. The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa put up $10,000 in seed money.
Over time, it became clear that the nature of the project should change. Most significantly, the St. James group reached out beyond the parish to recruit a steering committee, Community Housing Initiative Perth (CHIP). And in 2022 CHIP partnered with Carebridge Community Support, a Lanark County non-profit with a successful track record in affordable housing and social service.
Davis has said that the partnership is what moved the project to the point of success. “Carebridge is incredibly keen and supportive.” But Carebridge says the project would not have happened without CHIP, that it’s the first time a community group, as opposed to a municipality, has initiated a project.
Claire Smith, co-chair of the CHIP fundraising campaign, credits Davis himself. “He has been significant in spearheading the initiative and in keeping the momentum going.”
She hopes the work he has done at the municipal level will set a template for others to follow. “We’re hoping this goes beyond our small footprint. Ken has opened the door for responsible development for affordable housing for other organizations.’
Major financing for the project comes from a forgivable loan of $2.5 million from Lanark County, a $600,000 grant from Ontario Building Faster Fund and pending support from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Smith feels there is momentum for the campaign to raise $300,000, of which a little more than 10 per cent has been achieved. “We know there are some deep philanthropic pockets in Lanark County and we are reaching out to them.”
She adds: “I want to give kudos to the Anglican Church for the immense influence and support that the church has given right here on the ground. I think it’s amazing.”
Davis is taking steps to ensure continuity and commitment endure after he leaves to retire in the Kingston area.
One comes out of St. James refugee settlement experience, recognizing the benefits of having trained volunteer “along-siders” support first-time tenants when they move in. An organizational meeting of volunteers with training staff from The Perth Table Community Food Centre is planned.
Bishop Shane Parker said he “will be encouraging Davis’s successor to continue the parish’s engagement with the project and to offer leadership.” He sees the project as an excellent example of a parish engaging with its wider community, which fits well into the priorities of the Diocese as a whole. Davis has provided for continuity by assuring the steering committee it can continue to meet at St. James.
In the future, Davis says, the general public won’t know that St. James had any role, never mind the key role, in housing 15 households. “We are not doing it to aggrandize St. James. We are doing it to glorify God and to help people find homes.”
Construction is expected to be completed within a year, with staggered occupancy throughout 2026.
Donations: www.perthhousing.ca
Church of the Ascension, Ottawa — Deanery of Central Ottawa