Two new affordable housing units opened in Sudbury earlier this week, with another eight slated to open by the end of the year.
Located at 1517 Kingslea Ct. in New Sudbury, the two units are part of a joint project by Raising the Roof, Community Builders, and Sudbury’s Centre for Transitional Care.
Despite the name of one of the organizations involved, Community Builders managing director Carly Gasparini clarified these are not transitional units, but permanent community housing.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Paul Lefebvre on Wednesday, Raising the Roof director of housing development Adrien Dingle credited the city with being easy to work with.
Others should take notes, he said, adding that he has “never met a group of staff and council who act so cohesively,” and appear committed to adding affordable housing to the community.
Raising the Roof is a national non-profit organization committed to finding solutions to homelessness. Their Reside program has the organization partner with community organizations to create affordable housing units, defined as 80 per cent of market rent.
In Sudbury, they partnered with Community Builders, a not-for-profit organization that trains people with barriers to employment, to construct the units within existing buildings..
During Wednesday’s presentation, Community Builders graduate Josh Stone, who has since been hired by the organization to train the next crew, shared his story.
A self-described alcoholic almost two years sober, he recited the organization with welcoming him and giving him the chance he needed.
“I’ve never not once felt judged,” he said. “Community Builders has given me the ability to self-actualize my potential.”
In their current project alone, which includes adding legal secondary suites to five single-family homes to create a total of 10 affordable housing units, Gasparini said they’ve already offered 30 people vocational training in construction.
“The project has a double impact,” according to Raising the Roof’s promotional material, which they note includes “preventing homelessness not only by the creation of new units of affordable housing, but also by connecting people who are at risk of homelessness with construction careers.”
Although the project and the Greater Sudbury Housing Corporation provides them with a great deal of work, Gasparini noted that they’re always looking for projects.
“Any private homeowner can add a legal secondary suite, and Community Builders would love to help you figure that out,” she said, addressing Wednesday’s crowd.
Sudbury’s Centre for Transitional Care will be in charge of finding tenants and managing the properties, drawing from those who have graduated from their programming.
The five single-family homes being converted into affordable housing units are part of the stock the City of Greater Sudbury has sold off in recent years.
The proceeds from the sales will go toward a 14-unit seniors housing complex being built at 1310 Sparks St, which is intended to offset the loss.
In February 2022, city council voted in favour of allowing the five properties to retain tax-exempt status for as long as they continue functioning as affordable housing, to help keep costs down.
“This was a creative and innovative solution to some of the challenges we’re having with our affordable housing stock not meeting the need,” then-Ward 4 Coun. Geoff McCausland said at the time, adding that it’s a needed boost from a local organization that will breathe new life into the aging buildings.
During Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Lefebvre described the project as “a great model of things to come.”
City council’s vote to approve tax-exempt status was near-unanimous, with the lone vote of opposition coming from Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini.
The vote took place during one of a couple of meetings in early 2022 where Vagnini abstained from almost all votes of city council, without explanation beyond “personal and legal reasons.” Abstaining counts as “no.”
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
