The County of Simcoe and the City of Orillia marked National Housing Day Wednesday morning by showcasing the soon-to-open affordable housing and community services campus on West Street.
The multi-use hub development will accommodate 130 families, seniors, and individuals who are successful applicants to live in the new affordable residential units.
"This is our first community hub space that will deliver an array of social and community services on site," explained Mina Fayez-Bahgat, the county's general manager of social and community services.
The still officially unnamed campus on the site of the former Orillia District Collegiate & Vocational Institute (ODCVI) will be fully constructed at winter's end. Residents will begin to move in during the early spring of 2024, officials say.
Many of the incoming residents of the almost 220,000-square-foot building have been waiting many years to access affordable housing, Fayez-Bahgat says.
"The entire County of Simcoe is relying on these types of developments to address the need for affordable housing," he said. "Here in Orillia, we know there are around 900 people waiting for affordable housing."
The county received more than 200 applications on the day they launched an online portal for interested parties who hope to rent a unit.
"It's a small indicator of the need for affordable housing," Fayez-Bahgat said. "The county is just finishing its 10-year plan for affordable housing and homelessness prevention, and it overachieved its targets. We are now working as we speak on the next 10-year plan."
Fayez-Bahgat says the county is "very excited" to welcome residents to their new home next year.
"This was our largest build to date," he said. "We are very excited about what a building like this can do for a community and its residents."
The project is on track to be under its $79-million budget. The money came from the federal and provincial government as well as contributions from the County of Simcoe, the City of Orillia, and the City of Barrie.
"Our in-house county staff team that plans the housing development and construction was strategic in the way it acquired all of our supplies," Fayez-Bahgat explained. "We were able to avoid inflation and supply chain disruptions which is unique to the county."
Orillia Mayor Don McIsaac says National Housing Day is an important celebration of the importance of a home.
"Housing today means a home," he said. "It's more than just walls and a roof. It's the people in it, the relationships around the community, and the whole environment."
The new affordable housing and community services campus is "very important" to the community, McIsaac says.
"It's providing 130 more places for people to stay," he said. "Accommodation is a problem in Orillia and people have a hard time finding homes."
McIsaac says seeing the new building almost completed provides him with a sense of pride.
"It's a wonderful use of the ODCVI property," he said. "The construction is first-class and something that will be here for generations to come."
Ramara Mayor Basil Clarke, who is also the Warden of Simcoe County, says National Housing Day is a chance to reflect on how many people are in the "missing middle."
"We are working our hardest to try to create safe spaces for people to fall when they stumble," he said.
Clarke says the demand for housing is growing locally every year.
"We can't build these places fast enough," he said. "We are doing our best."
Clarke says he is excited for the new campus to be a hub for social services. Ontario Works, Children Services, Social Housing offices, and community agency stakeholders will all be located on-site.
"It's a one-stop shop where people can get all the help they need," he said. "It's a big deal."
Clarke says the new building will help thousands of local families over time.
"It goes beyond the 130 families who are going to start here," he said. "It's transitional, so as people get back on their feet and move out, it will open things up for others."
