Provincial investment will support seniors in the community
St-Albert — The Ontario government is providing close to $3 million to help create 18 affordable housing units in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell that will support seniors. This funding will support the expansion of two seniors’ residences in the communities of St-Albert and Vankleek Hill. Residents moving into these low-rise expansion projects will be immediately connected to existing seniors’ communities. They will also be close to local amenities, including community centres and hospitals. The funding was announced by Rob Flack, Associate Minister of Housing and Stéphane Sarrazin, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
“These homes will make a real difference in the lives of local seniors, and I’m proud that our government is supporting projects like these all across the province,” said Rob Flack, Associate Minister of Housing. “These projects in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell are a testament to our government’s unwavering commitment to build more housing of all kinds. We’ll keep working with our partners to achieve our goal of at least 1.5 million homes by 2031, and ensure Ontarians of all ages find a place to call home.”
The new building at the La Résidence Lajoie in St. Albert will be two-storeys with 26 units, six of which will be accessible. Each unit will have in-suite storage and residents will have access to additional storage in the garage. Residents will have access to fitness equipment, a shared recreational space, a meeting room, and an outdoor shuffleboard. The new three-storey building at the Vankleek Senior Citizens Manor includes 30 housing units. The building is also energy efficient and designed to meet VisitAbility standards with accessibility features such as wide doors.
Today’s announcement is part of the province’s Social Services Relief Fund, which has provided over $1.2 billion of support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, to help municipal service managers and Indigenous program administrators create longer-term housing solutions and help vulnerable people in Ontario, including those who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. The Ontario government is also investing an additional $202 million each year in homelessness prevention programs – the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program – bringing Ontario’s total yearly investment to close to $700 million. This includes nearly $4 million annually through the Homelessness Prevention Program for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell.