{"id":5448,"date":"2023-01-11T21:14:51","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T01:14:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=5448"},"modified":"2023-08-03T16:06:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:06:57","slug":"blue-door-proposing-new-transitional-housing-in-newmarket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/blue-door-proposing-new-transitional-housing-in-newmarket\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Door proposing new transitional housing in Newmarket"},"content":{"rendered":"
Posted on: January 10th, 2023, By: Joseph Quigley, newmarketoday.ca, Original Article.\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n
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‘If we look at our purpose, whom we serve and what we\u2019re trying to do, it\u2019s almost a disservice not to do more with the land,\u201d says CEO of existing youth facility on Gorham<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Emergency housing provider Blue Door proposes to build a new transitional housing facility in Newmarket by demolishing its existing one called Kevin\u2019s Place.<\/p>\n

The non-profit agency\u00a0is asking the town for a ministerial zoning order to speed the process along, which council is to\u00a0review Jan. 16. The proposal includes demolishing the existing 12-unit home at\u00a0835 Gorham St., to be replaced by stacked townhouses\u00a0with 14 units on the same property.<\/p>\n

Blue Door CEO Michael Braithwaite said there is a significant need for affordable housing, and the existing facility is limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlue Door has this large piece of land with a small house that could be so much more. If we look at our purpose, whom we serve and what we\u2019re trying to do, it\u2019s almost a disservice not to do more with the land,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kevin\u2019s Place has served Blue Door for more than 20 years, offering 12 emergency and transitional housing spaces for male youth. The new proposal would be 14 units, similarly providing emergency and transitional housing for families, primarily three and two-bedroom units. Braithwaite said people could potentially stay there on an emergency basis for 30 days, and up to a year at an affordable rate after that.<\/p>\n

The existing facility requires two people per room, Braithwaite said. That posed an issue in the pandemic with the need for physical\u00a0distancing, effectively cutting the unit capacity\u00a0down to five.<\/p>\n

The place has \u201cserved us well over the past 20-some odd years,\u201d Braithwaite said. \u201cThe challenge is that house, as it stands, was never designed for that type of purpose \u2026 We had an opportunity to take that house down to do youth housing in a different way that will be much more efficient and effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue Door planning experts\u00a0determined the number of units based\u00a0on what works under the town\u2019s planning regime, Braithwaite said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to fit in with the neighbourhood and the type of housing that\u2019s there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

To help fund the approximately $8-million project, Blue Door is looking to get Rapid Housing Initiative funding from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, which requires the project to be \u201cshovel ready.\u201d Blue Door is asking for a ministerial zoning order to speed the planning process in hopes of successfully applying for that funding.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is the type of housing it’s designed for,\u201d Braithwaite said. \u201cMZOs were introduced to speed up the process because we need affordable housing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council will consider it next week, but town staff is recommending a motion to support the MZO and expedite the planning process. The current zoning in a residential neighbourhood does not allow stacked townhomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the Rapid Housing Initiative funding and the length of time to process planning approvals, it is the planning staff\u2019s opinion that an MZO is appropriate in this instance,\u201d a staff report said.<\/p>\n

If the council OKs\u00a0it, the MZO would then require provincial approval. Assuming that happens and Blue Door\u00a0gets the grant funding, Braithwaite said the project could be complete in three years, for a 2026 opening. Otherwise, the project might take five years, or be held off if the funding cannot be secured.<\/p>\n

If it does happen, Braithwaite said they would ensure a seamless transition and places to stay for any residents of Kevin\u2019s Place.<\/p>\n

The new facility will respond to the community needs, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are seeing more and more people working full time using the shelter system simply because they don\u2019t have affordable housing,\u201d he said. \u201cThey simply can\u2019t afford the rent, and so we need to develop this type of affordable housing, and we need to do it now.”<\/p>\n

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Posted on: January 10th, 2023, By: Joseph Quigley, newmarketoday.ca, Original Article.\u00a0 ‘If we look at our purpose, whom we serve and what we\u2019re trying to do, it\u2019s almost a disservice not to do more with the land,\u201d says CEO of existing youth facility on Gorham Emergency housing provider Blue Door proposes to build a new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t