The Honourable Mel Knight, Minister of Energy and MLA for Grande Prairie-Smoky, and Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Wayne Drysdale presented a cheque today for $7 million to Mayor Dwight Logan. A third-party agreement will see the City transfer the funds to the Wapiti Community Dorm Society, which is building Rotary House. Construction has begun and is due for completion next December.
From left, Travis Mathias, Vice-President of the Wapiti Dorm Society, Mayor Dwight Logan, the Honourable Mel Knight, Minister of Energy and MLA for Grande Prairie-Smoky, and Wayne Drysdale, MLA for Grande Prairie-Wapiti, are shown with the cheque.
"The Province is proud to support a wide range of housing programs and services to assist those Albertans who are most in need," Minister Knight says. "With the help of provincial funding, it is exciting to see construction on the Rotary House project in Grande Prairie get underway."
“Our government is committed to addressing growth pressures like the ones we face in Grande Prairie,” says MLA Drysdale. “I am pleased that we are able to be a part of this excellent project that will make a positive difference in the lives of so many Grande Prairie residents.”
Located just south of City Hall at 10101 97A Street, the $12 million facility will accommodate up to 143 people in three categories – males and females needing temporary housing, families needing temporary housing and individuals with a mental/developmental disability. The cheque presentation occurred on site of the construction.
“This is a great news story for Grande Prairie and we thank the Province of Alberta for another investment in affordable housing initiatives in our community,” Mayor Dwight Logan says.
“We look forward to the completion of this project so we can provide emergency, temporary and transitional housing in a modern, larger facility with the capacity to take in more people and offer additional programs.”
The City has supplied the land for Rotary House and will lease it to the Dorm Society, which has operated the existing shelter since 1997. The 32,379-square-foot building will feature three floors.
“We are excited about the future possibilities,” says Society Vice-President Travis Mathias. “This new facility will allow us to increase the availability of stable affordable housing and focus on the transitional element which we do not currently provide. We look forward to working with various community agencies to provide much-needed shelter and support to valued members of our society.”
The new facility will enable the Dorm Society to expand its services to clients. This includes in-house outreach, on-site housing advocates, in-house classroom and computer labs, and an in-house library. There will also be space for community meals, office and board room.
“Our goal with Rotary House is to provide an all-encompassing supported living environment to those that need it most,” says Manager Lindsay Schlicker.
Wapiti Dorm currently has 10 full- and part-time employees. The Society hopes to expand that to 20 to reflect additional services.
“We look forward to the day we will be able to walk into our new building,” says Schlicker. “Our staff are eager to provide necessary in-house programs and support, which we are currently not delivering. We know there is so much more to give and Rotary House provides that. The community has always recognized the great need for a housing facility for hard-to-house men and women. We are excited knowing that we will be able to provide a facility to reach out to these groups to a greater degree.”
The Wapiti Dorm, situated immediately north of City Hall, can take in about 60 people. It serves traditionally hard-to-serve and homeless populations. Its primary clients are working men. Its upper floor has 11 rooms designated for residents who suffer from a significant mental illness or developmental disability and two transitional short stay rooms for discharged patients from the regional psychiatric unit of the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital.
“This initiative is another important step in a series of initiatives the City of Grande Prairie is undertaking,” says Community Housing Project Facilitator Jaime Rogers. “Just this week we launched an off-reserve Aboriginal Housing Program and we have almost completed a Community Housing Plan to help us guide future initiatives to fill gaps regarding homelessness and affordable housing in the city.”