But it’s a plan that relies entirely on government funding.
“Without that support we can’t go ahead,” said Frank Costa, its executive director. “Our hope, the board of directors, is that we can develop that property so that it is more accessible to support what our clients’ needs are.”
Community Connections, a non-profit organization that provides employment, residential and support services to adults with intellectual disabilities, is looking to expand, renovate and retrofit it’s building on Court Street.
The building, purchased in 2013, now houses its community outreach programs.
“A lot of the emphasis with those clients is on community work, base work, support employment and job coaching,” said Costa. “When we bought the property it was because we needed the space, but we also had a sense that we could continue to look for capital grants … to build apartments.”
While day services have grown significantly over the last five years, housing is where the need for clients with intellectual disabilities in East Prince is the greatest.
“And the pressure on housing is going to continue,” said Costa. “A lot of it is because of aging parents, and with parents that have children that present with high conditions of disability and they just need support as their children become adults.”
Community Connections works with 132 clients, 80 of whom reside in the agency’s housing on Winter Street, Highland Avenue, MacEwen Road and North Granville.
“We have a waiting list but we have no housing stock,” said Costa. “Our waiting list right now is about 17 people. Only seven of those require what we call staffed housing, which is 24-hour care.”
The exterior will get a facelift and new roof, while the interior of the 5,500-square-foot building will be gutted with a retrofit on the first floor to accommodate day programs and the second floor converted into four housing units.
“There’s one three-bedroom apartment for what we call high-care need,” explained Costa, noting 24-hour care would be provided for those clients. “The other three apartments are for what we call supported apartments, where people are relatively independent but just need minor supports so they can live independently.”
Plans are to add a lift, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, widen hallways, and build a 2,000 square-foot addition. A wheelchair entrance will added on the Cedar Street side, where parking will be relocated, making way for possible future construction of additional housing units on the existing Court Street parking lot.
Plans are drawn up and the project has gone out to tender with the hope is to begin construction soon, once funding is secured.
The price tag is $800,000, with a portion of the housing component funded through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. The rest, it is hoped, will be funded through a federal grant with Community Connections borrowing the remainder of the cost.
“We are hopeful. We meet the eligibility. We followed the process,” said Costa.
“Now we are just waiting.”
But it’s a plan that relies entirely on government funding.
“Without that support we can’t go ahead,” said Frank Costa, its executive director. “Our hope, the board of directors, is that we can develop that property so that it is more accessible to support what our clients’ needs are.”
Community Connections, a non-profit organization that provides employment, residential and support services to adults with intellectual disabilities, is looking to expand, renovate and retrofit it’s building on Court Street.
The building, purchased in 2013, now houses its community outreach programs.
“A lot of the emphasis with those clients is on community work, base work, support employment and job coaching,” said Costa. “When we bought the property it was because we needed the space, but we also had a sense that we could continue to look for capital grants … to build apartments.”
While day services have grown significantly over the last five years, housing is where the need for clients with intellectual disabilities in East Prince is the greatest.
“And the pressure on housing is going to continue,” said Costa. “A lot of it is because of aging parents, and with parents that have children that present with high conditions of disability and they just need support as their children become adults.”
Community Connections works with 132 clients, 80 of whom reside in the agency’s housing on Winter Street, Highland Avenue, MacEwen Road and North Granville.
“We have a waiting list but we have no housing stock,” said Costa. “Our waiting list right now is about 17 people. Only seven of those require what we call staffed housing, which is 24-hour care.”
The exterior will get a facelift and new roof, while the interior of the 5,500-square-foot building will be gutted with a retrofit on the first floor to accommodate day programs and the second floor converted into four housing units.
“There’s one three-bedroom apartment for what we call high-care need,” explained Costa, noting 24-hour care would be provided for those clients. “The other three apartments are for what we call supported apartments, where people are relatively independent but just need minor supports so they can live independently.”
Plans are to add a lift, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, widen hallways, and build a 2,000 square-foot addition. A wheelchair entrance will added on the Cedar Street side, where parking will be relocated, making way for possible future construction of additional housing units on the existing Court Street parking lot.
Plans are drawn up and the project has gone out to tender with the hope is to begin construction soon, once funding is secured.
The price tag is $800,000, with a portion of the housing component funded through the Homelessness Partnering Strategy. The rest, it is hoped, will be funded through a federal grant with Community Connections borrowing the remainder of the cost.
“We are hopeful. We meet the eligibility. We followed the process,” said Costa.
“Now we are just waiting.”