Disponible/available in: Français (French)
February 14th, 2019 (OTTAWA, ON) – This afternoon, Stéphane Giguère, Chief Executive Officer of Ottawa Community Housing Corporation (OCHC), and Cameron MacLeod, Executive Director of the Carlington Community Health Centre (CCHC), participated in a ribbon-cutting celebration for 42 new affordable homes for seniors in the Carlington Community. They were joined by Mayor Jim Watson, MP Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West-Nepean), MPP Jeremy Roberts (Ottawa West-Nepean), Councillor Mathieu Fleury (OCHC Board Chair), and Councillor Riley Brockington (Ward 16 – River).
Thanks to a combined investment of $18 million dollars from OCHC, the CCHC, and all three levels of government, this innovative housing healthcare partnership will provide quality, safe, and environmentally sustainable homes for seniors with a primary care clinic on the ground floor, run by CCHC. This will ensure that necessary healthcare services are easily accessible to tenants.
Furthermore, this new seniors’ community will have many tenant amenities, such as a common space for tenants with laundry, a kitchenette, and a social area on each floor. Each floor will also have 4 barrier-free accessible homes, for a total of 12 throughout the building. There will also be a raised rooftop garden to promote healthy eating, and a shared gathering space on the main floor for events.
In addition to improved access to services, this new 4-storey build is leading the way in sustainability. With its certification under the industry-leading Passive House standard, the Carlington Community will use up to 85% less in heating and cooling energy than a conventional build. In fact, heating a one-bedroom home will take about as much energy as running a hair dryer, and cost less than $100 per year. This is achieved by, among other things, a highly insulated building that keeps heat in the home.
This new facility is also leading the way as OCHC is the first housing provider in Ottawa to build to the WELL Standard. WELL is the first building standard to focus exclusively on the health and wellness of the people in buildings. It has a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features of the home that impact human health and well-being, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.
OCHC looks forward to welcoming tenants to the property in the coming days.
QUOTES
Anita Vandenbeld, MP (Ottawa West – Nepean)
“Seniors are healthier and happier when they can live independently longer. This is precisely why our government invested almost four million dollars for 42 new affordable housing units directly above the Carlington Community Health Centre. We are partnering to find innovative solutions to support low income and vulnerable seniors through our National Housing Strategy.”
Jeremy Roberts, MPP (Ottawa West – Nepean)
“This project demonstrates innovation and collaboration. As we work to end hallway medicine in Ontario, the addition of this housing healthcare partnership in the Carlington Community will provide excellent care to seniors, so that they can spend less time travelling to doctors’ appointments and to the emergency room.”
Mayor Jim Watson, City of Ottawa
“The City of Ottawa is committed to providing access to safe and affordable housing to all its residents. The new units in the Carlington Community will help vulnerable seniors in Ottawa find a stable place they can call home. By working collaboratively with the provincial and federal governments and with our service providers, Ottawa is increasing its affordable and supportive housing stock while investing in sustainable homes equipped with specialized services for their residents.”
Councillor Mathieu Fleury, Chair of the OCH Board of Directors
“Building these new homes according to the passive house standard means that OCHC is not only doing what is right for our planet, but also what is right for our pocketbooks. That’s because using this design means that these homes will consume about 85% less heating and cooling energy than conventional buildings.”
Councillor Riley Brockington, Ward 16 (River)
“On behalf of the Carlington community, I am pleased to welcome 42 seniors in to the neighbourhood. With these new apartments, Ottawa Community Housing is contributing to the pressing need to offer more affordable homes to seniors in Ottawa.”
Stephane Giguère, CEO Ottawa Community Housing Corporation
“By working with strong partners, such as the Carlington Community Health Centre, OCHC is innovating to meet the housing needs of our City. We are doing this by adopting models that will provide better services to tenants, be environmentally sustainable, and save money.”
Cameron MacLeod, Executive Director, Carlington Community Health Centre
“The occasion of welcoming of new neighbours into the apartments at 900 Merivale Road represents the culmination of a vision that was first contemplated in 2009 by the leaders of Carlington Community Health Centre and Ottawa Community Housing (OCH). For the past ten years, we have worked literally side-by-side with our partners, our community, our staff and our elected officials to create something truly unique and special by co-locating affordable housing for seniors with health and social services. It is our sincere hope that this project will serve as an example to others who seek to leverage resources and who share a commitment to making a better community for all of those who look to us for support. We now look to the next phase, which will see our new clinic completed and our current building renovated to allow expansion of services to Carlington, and beyond.”
Quick Facts:
- This new build has 42 new affordable homes for seniors: 12 barrier-free, and 30 visitable.
- Each floor will have 4 barrier-free homes.
- Each floor will have a common area with laundry, kitchenette, and a social gathering space.
- A raised rooftop garden to promote healthy eating
- A shared gathering space on the main floor for events.
- An expanded health clinic will be opened on the ground floor by the Carlington Community Health Centre.
- This project represents an investment of $18 million, with a combined $4.6 million coming from the Federal Government, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Ottawa, $8 million from the CCHC, and $5.1 million from OCHC.
- Operating costs will be shared between OCHC and the CCHC.
- With its certification under the industry-leading Passive House standard, the Carlington Community will use up to 85% less in heating and cooling energy than a conventional build.
- OCHC is the first housing provider in Ottawa to build to the WELL Standard.
About Ottawa Community Housing Corporation: OCHC is the largest social housing provider in Ottawa and the second largest in Ontario. The organization prides itself on nurturing safe, healthy and inclusive communities. Ottawa Community Housing currently administers approximately 15,000 homes and houses close to 32,000 tenants including seniors, parents, children, couples, singles and persons with disabilities.
About the Carlington Community Health Centre: CCHC helps individuals take control of their personal health and works to improve the health and wellbeing of our community as a whole. The Centre provides a wide range of health, mental health and addictions services to parents and children, youth and teens, and seniors.
Media Contact:
Nathaniel Mullin
Communications Media Specialist
media@och.ca
343-997-5700
