They are the second largest affordable housing provider in Elgin county and on Thursday of this week, Eastwood Housing Corporation hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for one of their largest undertakings of late.
The event drew a significant gathering to the vacant lot at 220 Highview Drive, just south of Wellington Street.
It will become the home of a five-storey, 82-unit complex known as Highview Hideaway.
In June of this year, we spoke with Jon McCurry, Eastwood’s Director of Operations, about the ambitious undertaking in partnership with Doug Tarry Homes.
Eastwood already has an inventory of 325 units in 11 properties across St. Thomas and Elgin county.

The 82 units in this latest project will consist of one- and two-bedroom rental apartments, all at 79 per cent or lower of CMHC market rates.
Construction is expected to begin shortly and a unique feature, explained McCurry, will be the use of modular construction.

“This building will be modular built, so it’s literally going to arrive on flatbed trucks. Our construction company is telling us within about six to eight weeks you will see a building appear on this site.
“But that’s just the structure, you won’t be able to move in but it is going up very fast.”
All units will be built to Net Zero Ready Standard with the goal of full Net Zero in the future by using solar energy.
The apartments on Highview will serve as a template for future builds, added McCurry.
“The idea is, once we get this building up and running, we want to design a building we can just replicate.
“This would be a template and, God willing, we would put up another one, and then another one and another one.”

Speaking with McCurry immediately following Thursday’s ceremony he advised, “Within two weeks to a month, this site will be mobilized and there will be a building going up.”
We talked about the location.
“It’s fantastic. We’re on a bus route, the mall’s right there, you are within walking distance of every amenity you need so, yes, it is a great location.”
And, teaming up with Doug Tarry Homes, the project is not solely about affordability.
“Affordable housing isn’t just the rent amount. We know from other buildings in the city – such as 300 Manor Road that Doug Tarry has built – they are environmentally tight buildings.”
Their utilities are extremely low and that is all part of the affordability.
“Affordable housing does not mean what you can afford. It means it is a percentage below CMHC’s average market rates in the area. So it is very affordable.”
We spoke with Doug Tarry about this being a case of a community of developers, architects and builders coming together to benefit the community at large.
“What I love about it is they are coming together, all the different facets, from the local government to the federal government to the developers who say hey, we can do better.
“And we need to take care of as many people as we possibly can. Housing is a basic human right, we have to have it.”
We asked Tarry about focusing on not only an affordable housing development but one that is environmentally friendly.
“We have really reduced the carbon footprint of the building itself, which we are pretty proud about.
“And then operationally, it’s going to be a very low carbon footprint. It’s going to be very affordable to live here but also better for the planet.”
St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston reiterated it is about communities working together.
“We have great community groups like the Doug Tarry Group and other developers and Eastwood and the work they have already done on community housing.
“It is about communities working together to get big projects started.”
Preston continued, “We want to grow our community from an economic side, because if we can create great jobs, then people can afford the housing that is already there.
“We like that. But the social safety net needs also to be there for those who can’t and that’s what projects like this and the Indwell projects are all about.
“But, we can’t leave anyone aside. We’ve got to move forward on each of those things and so creating economic growth in our community is a big thing.”

Highview Hideaway will include an on-site community room, storage lockers, laundry facilities and pickleball courts.
Full occupancy is projected for mid-2026.
Eastwood Housing Corp. will own and operate the property and provide all tenant and maintenance services.
The projected cost of the undertaking is just over $28 million, with the City of St. Thomas contributing $3 million (a $5 million contribution from the city reported in the original version of this story has been updated).
Eastwood is a Christian, non-profit, charitable organization that also works with the YWCA in providing three townhouse units for families and a pair of townhouses for youth experiencing homelessness.

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A REQUEST FOR TAX DOLLARS TO SUPPORT THE INN

Individuals migrate to the shelter because they are in dire need of a hand-up.
And now, The Inn – the city’s emergency shelter – has a pressing need of its own and via a report from Danielle Neilson, the Manager of Housing Stability Services for St. Thomas, is approaching city council at Monday’s (Sept. 9) meeting seeking financial assistance.
Despite ongoing controversy mostly centred on location, The Inn under the guidance of executive director Brian Elliot has a record of success.
According to Neilson’s report, this year alone 63 of the shelter’s clients “secured housing outcomes or were supported through diversion either out of homelessness or back to their home communities.”

“It is common practice that municipalities contribute tax dollars toward its local response to homelessness, including the operation of emergency shelters.”

A track record that has resulted in other municipalities approaching the shelter’s administrative staff to share best practices.
The annual operating costs of The Inn are approaching the $1.5 million mark which, according to Neilson, “is comparatively less than the operating costs of other emergency shelters of similar size and scope.”
To date, The Inn has not received funding from the city to assist with operating costs.
However, it is now requesting a one-time investment of $195,000 plus an ongoing financial contribution from the city beginning next year “that addresses its longer-term needs” until no longer required.
Neilson points out, “It is common practice that municipalities contribute tax dollars toward its local response to homelessness, including the operation of emergency shelters.”
As noted in the opening item this week, the city is already contributing $3 million toward the construction of Eastwood Housing Corporation’s latest project.
This request could prove a thorny issue for council members given the pushback from some downtown businesses.
That plus the fact the sum of $195,000 was not included in this year’s budget.
Neilson suggests that “this amount could be offset in the city’s year-end reconciliation.”
With this request and other financial stress points like the 30-year debenture to compensate the Municipality of Central Elgin for the land transfer needed for the Yarmouth Yards industrial park, deliberations on next year’s municipal budget, which will begin before the end of this year, likely will require plenty of judicious pencil sharpening by city staff.

CRU-SADER: STRENGTHENING POLICE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUTH

Youth engagement is a critical aspect of policing in St. Thomas and this past week, we sat down with St. Thomas Police Chief Marc Roskamp to hear about an exciting relaunch geared toward young people.
Introduced in the late 1990s and in use through the early 2000s, this community policing program is now being re-introduced as the CRU-SADER Youth Engagement Initiative.

According to Roskamp, it is part of the service’s ongoing commitment “to strengthen relationships with local youth, especially those considered at risk through modernized community mobilization efforts.”
While the aim of the program remains the same as the earlier version, the presentation has evolved to better address the challenges facing youth today.
“Our community is at the heart of everything we do, and building stronger connections with our young people is critical to both preventing crime and fostering positive relationships,” stressed Roskamp.

“Our strategies have been adjusted in ways that create impactful connections with young people within the community and outside of the school environment.”

“The rebranding of the CRU-SADER Initiative represents our modern approach to community policing — one that focuses on proactive engagement and partnership.”
It is important to note, in the past, these youth initiatives were implemented with the support of local school boards.
However, with both boards having removed community resource officers from schools – for the time being – the service has had to creatively adapt.
Roskamp notes, “Our strategies have been adjusted in ways that create impactful connections with young people within the community and outside of the school environment.”
He continues, “The CRU-SADER Initiative helps us work together with parents to address trending issues that affect youth, offer solutions to community problems and enhance relationships.”
This includes providing youth with positive role models, resources and guidance while engaging them in non-traditional, community-based environments.
You have to look no further than the popular Boredom Buster program this past summer which invited young people to come and participate in sporting endeavors with police officers.
The CRU-SADER program, according to Roskamp, will focus specifically on vulnerable youth, including children at risk of victimization or engaging in criminal activity.
Key elements include the THINK Initiative, a digital program encouraging young people to consider the following before posting online:

TRUTH – Is what you are posting true?

HURTFUL – Is what you are posting hurtful?

ILLEGAL – Is what you are posting illegal?

NECESSARY – Is what you are posting necessary?

KIND – Is what you are posting kind?

The Boredom Buster events will now run year-round to foster positive engagement between youth and the community.
And introduction of the Values/Influences/Peers (VIP) Program which will offer educational sessions that promote responsible decision-making, positive social behaviour and the importance of community values.
Of note, the CRU-SADER Youth Engagement Initiative will work hand in hand with the St. Thomas Police Service Mobile Outreach Support Team (MOST), a joint effort between the service and the CMHA to support vulnerable youth in the community.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY SAFETY ZONES

At the Sept. 3 meeting, city council approved a report recommending the addition of a dozen new community safety zones (shown in green on the map).
This is over and above the 14 zones already in existence.

These zones designate a section of roadway where public safety is of special concern and are typically established around schools, parks or other community facilities.
The existing zones are associated with school areas.
The cost of establishing the new zones is estimated at $18,000 and can be accommodated in this year’s environmental services department budget.
Council also approved a motion for staff to develop a speed management program for consideration.
Such a program would include tools available to address speeding concerns, especially in community safety zones.
In some communities, like London, this includes the use of speed cameras and the associated mailing of tickets for speed infractions.

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