After Almost Three Years of Work, Grace Gardens is Now Open

Nearly three years after the project was first brought up as a council delegation, the ribbon was finally cut on Grace Gardens. What was once the Parkview Motel and an occasional emergency shelter used by Wellington County and Stepping Stone, is now 32-units of permanent supportive housing with wrap-around supports. On Tuesday, the official opening was celebrated as the latest step in Guelph’s action on homelessness. Continue reading “After Almost Three Years of Work, Grace Gardens is Now Open”

City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 26 Meeting?

The end of October brings what will likely be a fairly lengthy discussion at council about the role the City should or needs to play in the creation of affordable and supportive housing in our town. Along with that agenda item there will be all the leftover items from the Committee of the Whole meeting plus a formal endorsement of a request for more financial aid from the upper levels of government. Continue reading “City Council Preview – What’s on the Agenda for the October 26 Meeting?”

RECAP: Many, Many Questions About Supportive Housing at Ward 2 Town Hall

The news that Parkview Motel might be turned into supportive housing was the subject for the entire two-hour town hall hosted by Ward 2 Councillors James Gordon and Rodrigo Goller on Thursday evening. Drop In Centre executive director Gail Hoekstra and a series of special guests took questions from the NIMBYs, YIMBYs, and everyone in between. Here’s the recap… Continue reading “RECAP: Many, Many Questions About Supportive Housing at Ward 2 Town Hall”

GUELPH POLITICAST #238 – The Future of Parkview

At the August 24 city council meeting, money from the affordable housing reserve was given to the St. Joseph’s Housing Corporation to help complete a project to provide 65 affordable units to seniors. As a delegate at that meeting, the executive director of the Drop In Centre announced that her non-profit was working on a deal of its own for supportive housing, and that became the story. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #238 – The Future of Parkview”