Final fundraising stretch for conversion of old Calgary office building into affordable housing
After being stripped right down to its concrete walls, the work to turn an old office building in Calgary into affordable housing is well underway.
The Sierra Place building on the corner of 7th Ave and 6th St. SW sat vacant for nearly two years, but come this time next year, the space will reopen as a family emergency shelter, childcare centre and 82 units of affordable housing.
"For us, this project is critical for our city. We can see what's happening in our downtown core and many of our vulnerable individuals and families are in and around the downtown core," said Bernadette Majdell, the CEO of HomeSpace.
"The transformation of this space will be similar to the transformation of the lives of the families we serve as they move in less than a year from now," she said.
The $30 million project is a partnership between HomeSpace, Inn from the Cold and the City of Calgary. Most of the project's cost has been covered by the city, corporate partners and private donors -- but the group needs $6.5 million to finish off construction.
The demand for emergency housing and affordable housing has increased in Calgary recently, the group says, with Inn from the Cold helping 1,611 family members last year, including 967 children.
"We see it every day in our shelter. Families coming to us for various reasons: financial crisis, personal crisis, health crisis," said Heather Morley with Inn from the Cold.
The Sierra Place building on the corner of 7th Ave and 6th St. SW sat vacant for nearly two years, but come this time next year, the space will reopen as a family emergency shelter, childcare centre and 82 units of affordable housing.
"We don't want full shelters. The last place a child should ever be is in a shelter. So, a project like this... we're standing in what will eventually be a three-bedroom apartment," she said.
The conversion also helps tackle another of Calgary's issues: a high downtown office vacancy rate that is reaching 30 per cent.
"It's part of the larger downtown strategy, which council passed just this past year. We've created a number of incentive programs to help encourage more residential construction and conversion from buildings downtown," said Bruce Irvine, the city's manager of affordable housing.
You can find out more information about the project and donate online here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.