The NWT Disabilities Council has announced plans for a multi-million dollar affordable housing project at the former Rockhill site on 54 Street beginning next year with the support of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and De Beers Group.
NNSL file photo
The number of units, estimated at 20 to 30, will ultimately depend on the scope of the project to be determined next year, said Denise McKee, executive director of the NWT Disabilities Council. The residences are expected to be larger by design and will incorporate wider doorways and roomier bathrooms to make them more accessible.
The announcement came on Dec. 3, the United Nation’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities and was co-signed by McKee; Kelly Brenton, social performance manager with De Beers' Group; and Tom Williams, president and CEO of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation.
The initiative follows a disastrous fire in October 2018 at the Rockhill Apartments site that razed more than 30 housing units and office space run by YWCA NWT.
The disabilities council, which has 800 registered members and provides services for approximately 1,500 people each year with disabilities living in the NWT, issued a news release on Dec. 3 stating that the organization "was approached in 2019 by the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation and the DeBeers Group to create a living option that would address the needs of people living with disabilities in Yellowknife."
The project is envisioned as "innovative and progressive and looks to creating spaces that are truly accessible, affordable and inclusive, understanding that these thriving and diverse communities are where people want to live and do business," stated Denise McKee, executive director of the NWT Disabilities Council.
McKee said the council plans to create spaces that will provide accessible living units “aligned to income” and “market value” while offering living supports and business opportunities.
It will also provide a permanent location for the NWT Disabilities Council, according to the news release.
McKee stated that 2021 will include a scoping of the project, the development of a business case, efforts to seek investment from different levels of government and to address their commitments for increased, accessible housing.
"Right now we are in application for seeding funding and once seeding funding through CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) with the federal government, next year we will be able to really narrow down what it will look like," McKee said on Dec. 7.
"The NWT Disabilities Council will work collaboratively with these partners, community investors, and other non-government organizations to develop a living option that addresses important social issues and targets marginalized intersectional groups," states the release.
"This project will be a benchmark, moving forward, to creating spaces and communities that are truly diverse and inclusive."
She's hoping for a large financial contribution from DeBeers and other investors. That funding details are expected to be worked out after the business plan is completed next year, she noted.