Governments Celebrate Grand Opening of Seniors Housing Project in Brandon

BRANDON, MB, Aug. 28, 2018 /CNW/ - Senior citizens in Western Manitoba have a new 63-unit property to call home, so they can live independently in the community.

Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Charleswood?St. James-Assiniboia?Headingley on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and the Honourable Heather Stefanson, Minister of Families, along with Deputy Mayor Jeff Fawcett, on behalf of Mayor Rick Chrest, City of Brandon and representatives from West-Man Seniors Non-Profit Housing Co-op Ltd. made the announcement today.

Quotes:                                                                                                    

"Our Government recognizes the importance of caring for our aging citizens. This is why we are pleased to announce the official opening of 2105 Brandon Avenue, a new affordable housing development which will enable more seniors from this community to age independently, close to family and friends." ? Doug Eyolfson, Member of Parliament for Charleswood?St. James?Assiniboia?Headingley

"Access to safe, affordable housing is a priority for our government and Manitobans. We are proud of the partnerships with the Federal Government, City of Brandon and West-Man Seniors Housing Co-op that led to the grand opening of this important project that will better the lives of Brandon seniors and the community."
? Heather Stefanson, Minister of Families

"The City of Brandon is proud to be a partner in this affordable housing project. At the heart of Brandon's Affordable Housing Strategy is the philosophy that no one community group or organization can go it alone when it comes to improving the affordable housing landscape, and the many different partnerships that forged to make 2105 Brandon Avenue a reality is the embodiment of that philosophy at work in our community."
? Deputy Mayor Jeff Fawcett, City of Brandon

"Our proud co-operative volunteers would like to thank everyone who helped bring this project to completion, who worked hard to make this dream a reality for the people now living at 2105 Brandon Ave. This building provides accessible, affordable, safe and secure independent housing that is also pet-friendly and smoke-free, for lower to mid-income senior citizens, allowing them to age in place gracefully. We will continue to look forward for more opportunities to provide housing options for these important community members." ? Harvey Douglas, President and Expansion Committee Chair, West-Man Seniors Non-Profit Housing Co-op Ltd.

Quick facts:

• The Federal and Provincial Governments, through CMHC and Manitoba Housing, jointly contributed approximately $3.1 million toward this project through the federal/provincial Investment in Affordable Housing 2014-2019 Agreement.
• The City of Brandon provided the property at 2105 Brandon Ave., valued at $920,000, at no cost and other support totalling more than $600,000.
• The four-storey property, located at 2105 Brandon Ave., features 48 affordable rental housing units and 15 market-rate rental units.
• The housing project was developed and will be managed by Western Manitoba Seniors Non-Profit Housing Co-op Ltd., which was established in 2009 to provide safe, comfortable, affordable and accessible housing for seniors in Brandon. The co-op also manages a 34-unit affordable seniors' housing property on McDiarmid Drive.
• Tenants began moving into the building in early May, which features common areas on each floor, an outdoor sitting area and a shared garden. The building meets Manitoba's visitable and accessible design standards and Manitoba Hydro's PowerSmart designation.
• The Government of Canada is currently rolling out its National Housing Strategy (NHS)?an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion plan that will create 100,000 new housing units and lift 530,000 families out of housing need as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 percent.
• The NHS is built on strong partnerships between federal, provincial and territorial governments, and on continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private sectors to make a meaningful difference in the lives of Canadians.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

Manitoba Housing, part of Manitoba's Department of Families, provides a wide range of safe and affordable housing options throughout the province, often in partnership with other governments, community organizations and private agencies.  For more information, visit www.gov.mb.ca/housing.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation