Salvation Army and Redwood Park Communities Develop New Supporting Housing Project Set to Open Next Summer

Vulnerable families in the Barrie area will soon have hope, thanks to a life changing partnership between The Salvation Army in Barrie and the Redwood Park Communities.

Both organizations are partnering on a new supportive housing project for families that includes a two-story building with 12 fully furnished apartments. The project will be an extension of The Salvation Army Bayside Mission and will be built at 151 Lilian Crescent on Salvation Army owned land next to The Salvation Army Citadel.

Redwood Park Communities is a registered charity that builds affordable housing in Simcoe County. The Salvation Army approached Redwood about five or six years ago after seeing a growing need for supportive housing in Barrie.

“Our organization started doing short-term and transitional housing, and we are hoping to expand into longer-term housing as well,” said Tim Kent, “It is a passion for my wife and I. We came out of the construction industry thinking we had to do something better for the community.”

The pandemic has created more financial stress for families. According to Tim, Barrie now has 12 families with children currently living in motels – up from about eight families five years ago. Many of the city’s shelters have also been moved to motels to keep individuals physically distanced.

“The location of the new building next to the Citadel helps us bridge the families we are supporting with the community,” said Salvation Army Captain Stephanie Watkinson.

“We will be able to connect families with outreach programs and events at the Citadel. Bayside Mission will develop a small Family Services at the Citadel that will include a food bank to better serve the families and the community.”

The new supportive housing apartments will allow families to be all under one roof where The Salvation Army can support them and help them find permanent housing.

Captain Stephanie says, “Some families are experiencing barriers that need to be addressed first before they can move into permanent housing.”

“These new apartments will give families a stable home until they find permanent housing, and the supports they need to get back on their feet and start planning their future instead of just focusing on how to survive,” said Tim. “That’s what I love about these supportive housing units. They are intended to be short-term and help people get back on their feet.

We’re expecting to see 800 families come through the doors in the 12 units over the next 20 years.”

The new modern building features an enclosed glass area that will be a dedicated community space for residents when its safe to gather socially or it could also be used as a dining space.

“It’s a really nice-looking building and we’re really happy with how it will look and feel,” said Tim. “Our goal is to make it feel like a home so individuals are comfortable.. We have also won a national award for how energy efficient this building will be.”

Redwood Communities is overseeing the capital campaign for the $4.3 million project. To date $2.4 million has been raised and the public campaign which has yet to begin, has a goal of $700,00 with the hope of securing the remainder of funding through government grants

Construction is set to start later this spring and the project is expected to take 14 months. The goal is to have families begin moving in next summer.

If you would like to support the project please donate online at www.redwoodparkcommunities.com or by cheque in the mail.

To provide financial support to The Salvation Army, donations can be made online at www.salvationarmy.ca or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY, where donations can also be directed to a specific program or location.