Still more than a year before a move-in date, Indwell Community Homes’ $18-million supportive affordable housing project in the Preston area of Cambridge is at least starting to take shape.
While the shell of the former Grand River Hotel, and Queen’s Hotel before that, is currently the only structure on the property at 1102 King St. E., plans sent to the city’s committee of adjustment requesting variances on gross residential floor area and parking show three additions onto the historic 203-year-old building.
At the rear of the building will be a three-storey and five-storey addition, with a two-storey addition on the side to complete the 45-residential-unit building. Expanding the building to 26,178 square feet allows for the housing units, as well as community space for tenants, office space for staff and commercial space on the ground floor.
Typically, the commercial tenants in Indwell buildings serve community needs, said Mark Willcock, Indwell’s community engagement and fundraising co-ordinator for Waterloo Region. In other Indwell builds, the space has been filled by a pharmacy, a library branch and a bicycle co-op.
Willcock said Indwell is currently going through due processes to prepare for pulling building permits once funding is in place, wanting to be shovel-ready at that time.
For their projects, the community homes group picks up 15 per cent of the tab. In this case, Indwell has raised $1.7 million of $2.5 million for their contribution. For the rest of the funding, 55 per cent consists of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation grants and financing, and the remainder from provincial and municipal partners. The latter group is who they’re lobbying now before construction can begin.
The original goal was to have tenants move in late 2026, and Willcock said that timetable is still on track.
While getting the building ready has been a process — first stripping it down to its original stone shell — Willcock said getting tenants can’t come soon enough, with the last recorded number of people experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region at 2,371. That’s double the 1,085 people experiencing homelessness in the region in 2021. He added there are also 532 “living rough” or in the shelter system in Cambridge.
“There is an urgent need for affordable housing and particularly for supportive housing, which is really a key for people coming out of homelessness and ensuring that people stay housed for the long term,” Willcock said.
“We provide on-site health supports and services, which really is the key to helping people who have experienced homelessness and experienced homelessness for quite a while to stay housed. Experiencing homelessness brings with it lots of trauma that needs to be unpacked and experiences that need to be unpacked and behaviours that need to change, just because you do what you need to do to survive on the street.”
He added the rent for the units are truly affordable, costing about $570 to $580 a month.
The area of the build speaks for itself, Willcock said, noting a Giant Tiger is located a block away, a No Frills, pharmacies and the library are within walking or cycling distance and the hospital can be reached by bus. Having a bus stop outside the building is a bonus.
One of the asks to the committee of adjustment is requesting a variance to allow only eight residential parking spaces and two commercial spaces instead of the city-required 45 residential spaces and two commercial spaces.
Willcock said most individuals who experienced homelessness and have transitioned to housing don’t own a vehicle and get around town by walking, bicycle or bus. Bicycle storage will be provided in the building.
He noted there has been a lot of buzz and talk about the building among Preston residents and business owners and Indwell is eager to begin construction.
“Us uncovering this 1800s structure has created a lot of positive conversation and brings back a lot of memories for people about Preston and the history of Preston. We want to be a positive contributor to the community, to any community that we’re in, and this is one way that we can do that.”
