Cedar Point, with service provision from The Mustard Seed, provides housing with supports designed to address homelessness in the community.
Grande Prairie has a strongly identified need for housing based on the Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).
Housing with supports helps residents maintain their housing, reducing the volume of homelessness and related issues in the city and creating a safer, vibrant community for all residents.
About the Facility
The facility is taking an innovate approach to social housing by selecting a purpose-built location to co-locate residents with service providers, healthcare supports, food, designated inclusive Indigenous and multi-cultural spaces, and recreation all within one site. These wrap-around services provide the supports necessary for the residents to sustain housing while reaching recovery goals, making Cedar Point a much needed recovery-oriented housing option in the community.
Cedar Point is made possible through valued community partnerships and is an integral part of the Housing Hub Table and Housing Continuum.
To learn more about what housing with supports is, click here.
Project Information
Cedar Point housing with supports includes the following on-site services:
• Client Care Workers on-site 24/7 (Staffed by The Mustard Seed)
• Dining room
• Programming space
• Cultural support space
• Programming and support (Service provision by The Mustard Seed)
• In-reach health and mental health support (Service provision by Northreach Society)
• Housing Support Workers to deliver life skills training and support for maintaining housing
The facility includes:
- 63 units for housing with supports. These rooms are licensed under the Supportive Living Accommodation Licensing program.
- 43 units for independent living. These rooms are governed by the Residential Tenancy Act.
Benefits of this operational model include:
- Time and cost savings
- Operational efficiency
- Accessible units
- Energy efficient design considerations
Cedar Point provides both housing with supports units and affordable housing options.
The 63 housing with supports units provide homes for people exiting homelessness. Housing with supports is not a shelter, as residents sign a lease and pay rent. Residents are provided 24/7 access to onsite recovery oriented care and social supports assisting individuals in achieving and maintaining stable housing.
The 43 affordable housing option provides safe stable housing to those who do not require additional supports, or plan to transition to market housing.
Resident selection is subject to eligibility requirements which are assessed by housing professionals at a City-led Housing Hub Table whose membership includes representatives from The Mustard Seed, Grande Prairie Friendship Centre, Northreach Society, Centrepoint, Wapiti House, and others.
Grande Prairie has a strongly identified need for housing with supports based on the Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).
Previous attempts at new-builds have not seen the success required to fully address the need. The scattered-site housing with supports system currently available to Housing First participants in Grande Prairie is limited in its effectiveness to support those with complex needs and is heavily affected by the availability of private landlords willing to lease their units to Housing First clients. The resulting impacts are straining our local emergency shelters, policing resources, and healthcare system.
In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic permitted the site to be considered as a Rapid Housing option.
Benefits of purchasing an existing site at the current location included:
- Developed land
- Economies of scale
- Turn-key infrastructure with potential for quick occupancy
- Potential divestment of City buildings and inclusion of existing furniture, appliances and equipment
- Close to health and support services
- Walking distance to amenities
- Access to transit
For these reasons, the project was created to optimize the current economic conditions to meet our community’s needs and provide a sustainable housing with supports solution with the greatest return on investment.
Phase 1:
- 63 supportive living units
- Features 9 pods, 5 for men and 4 for women, with 7 housing with supports units per pod, for a total of 63 housing with supports rooms. Each pod features:
- Accessible corridors
- Security cameras
- Emergency intercom system
- Two full accessible washrooms
- Quiet common area
- Small fridge
- Coffee maker
- Shared TV
- Large window
- Each housing with supports unit includes:
- A bed
- Linens
- Bedside table
- Lamp
- Desk
- Dresser
- Chair
- TV
- Dimmable lighting
- Emergency intercom setting
- Individual temperature control
- Features 9 pods, 5 for men and 4 for women, with 7 housing with supports units per pod, for a total of 63 housing with supports rooms. Each pod features:
- Medical space
- 3 exam rooms
- 4 office spaces for a service provider
- A large waiting room
Phase 2:
- Common areas
- Recreation and programming area including:
- A communication wall for resident updates
- A snack bar
- Games tables
- Tables for sitting or crafting
- A library area and reading nook
- A fireplace and quiet area
- A TV area
- Dining Room
- Full furnishings and capacity to accommodate all meals for residents
- Three nutritious meals are served each day provided by the Community Kitchen
- Fitness room
- Two stationary bikes
- Free weights
- Laundry Room
- Available for resident use
- Features capacity for 5 washers and dryers
- Flex Room
- Accomodates up to 10 people for meetings
- Available to be used for group therapy
- Indigenous Cultural Space
- Offers opportunity for inclusivity and spiritual balance
- Includes a large, designated room for cultural activities such as prayer and beading
- Features the 7 Sacred teachings artwork
- Fully vented to accommodate ceremonial smudging
- Recreation and programming area including:
Phase 3:
- 43 independent living units
- Furnished: bed, mattress, night table, desk, lamps, artwork
- Wall-mounted TV
- Kitchenettes: microwave, small fridge, hotplate, sink
- Private washroom with tub/shower
- Accessible Units available
- Individual temperature controlled
- Furnished: bed, mattress, night table, desk, lamps, artwork
- Municipal office space
- To accommodate up to 70 City of Grande Prairie employees
- Meeting rooms
- Reception space
- Available to act as an Emergency Operations Centre during an activation of the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership (GPREP)
Phase 4:
- Communal Kitchen
- Cooktops
- Prep areas
- Refrigeration
- Warmers
- Dishwasher
- Storage
- Offers meals for current residents and presents an opportunity for social enterprise, partnerships, and job skills training for residents as part of programming
- Outdoor space
- Fenced for privacy and weather barrier
- 63 supportive living units
The total cost of the project is currently budgeted at over $23 million.
The costs per unit remain below comparable projects in other municipalities.
Funding for the project has been supplemented by several grants including:
Capital Grants and Funding
Source Amount Federal Reaching Home Grant $373,333 Provincial Affordable Housing Block Funding $95,902 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation - Seed-Funding $143,910 Aquatera Utilities- Gift in Kind $20,548.08 Operational Funding
Source Amount Provincial Outreach Support Services Funding $1.8M Health Canada Substance Use and Addiction Program $1.8M One of the keys to the long-term success of Cedar Point is community inclusion and involvement.
To achieve this, the project team works to actively connect with stakeholders, community and business members and neighbouring areas through activities such as:
- Engagement sessions
- Public notices and signage throughout development
- Presentations to community groups such as the Municipal Policing Advisory Committee and Opioid Task force
- Good Neighbour Agreements
- Resident Advisory Committee
- Establishment of carecampus@cityofgp.com for community and neighbourhood feedback
- Various updates to the community via Council reports, media releases website updates, and social media
Community Advisory Committee
In 2022 the Coordinated Care Campus Community Advisory Committee was formed to provide a connection between Cedar Pointand the community, with members providing advice and feedback on matters related to the facility.
Its mandate aims to provide:
- advice and recommendations pertaining to community education, integration and engagement
- advice and recommendations on identified matters of concern brought forward through the Good Neighbour Grievance process
- feedback in the ongoing evaluation and planning for Cedar Point and its programs
The committee includes seven public members representing varying sectors including:
Member Representation Lionel Frey - Chair Business Sector Debra Jones Resident / Indigenous representative Joseph Redhead Resident / Health Professional representative Brian John Business Sector Elmer Spilchen Resident / CABH representative Nicole Simoneau Resident Dan Lemieux City of Grande Prairie Wendy Hughes City of Grande Prairie Sarah Roberts City of Grande Prairie Ashley Saunders City of Grande Prairie Samantha Chippeway City of Grande Prairie View their Terms of Reference here.
FAQs
Grande Prairie is making progress toward ending chronic homelessness still has a strongly identified need for housing with supports based on the Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).
Individuals will face different kind of challenges that lead to housing instability, but ending chronic homelessness is possible. The City and its community partners are working to create a homeless-serving system and a supply of appropriate housing that allows us to quickly connect people with the support and housing they need.
Shelter models provide critical emergency short-term services to those experiencing homelessness. Shelter models are meant to be a last resort, and often offer open admission based on capacity. Accommodations are often in a group setting.
Housing with supports provides long term solution to chronic homelessness. Residents must meet eligibility by a team of housing practitioners. Residents pay rent for their own units. Residents also have access to 24-hour onsite supports and programming specific to needs, which allows residents to remain successfully housed.
Housing with supports focus on a recovery-oriented system of care which provides both housing and wellness opportunities for individuals seeking safe stable housing while obtaining recovery goals.
Results of this include:
- Improved physical and mental wellbeing of residents
- Increased social inclusion and independence of residents
- Reduced interactions with emergency medical services and law enforcements amongst residents
- Reduced costs to related services for taxpayers
Yes. Housing with supports helps residents maintain their housing, reducing the volume of homelessness and related issues in the city and creating a safer, vibrant community for all residents.
Once in a housing with supports unit, individuals previously experiencing homelessness report improvements in access to employment, income, education, addiction issues, mental health and life-skills.
Housing with supports is for people who have experienced chronic homelessness and need help to maintain housing and require 24-7 support. Individuals in housing with supports report improvements in access to employment, income, education, addiction issues, mental health, and life-skills.
Residents are referred to a housing with supports site based on their support requirements and what the specific site offers in terms of supports and programming. Tenant choice is also a determining factor in their housing placement.
Cedar Point houses individuals from the Housing First program who require support due to physical, mental, or behavioral health challenges. These individuals have greater challenges accessing market housing, require on-going support and typically have a history of homelessness.
Resident selection is subject to eligibility requirements which will be assessed by housing professionals at a City led “Hub Table” whose membership includes representatives from The Mustard Seed, Grande Prairie Friendship Centre, Northreach Society, Centrepoint, Wapiti House, and others.
Three assessment tools used to assess tenant eligibility include a Service Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool, Biopsychosocial Assessment and a Risk Assessment. This process ensures that the supports on-site match the needs of the residents.
Programs and supportive services such as:
- 24/7 crisis services
- Independent living skills
- Medication assistance
- Mental health and addiction
- Health services, continuing care, disability services
- Cultural, ceremonial, and spiritual practices
- Psycho-social, recreation or support group activities
All programs and support services are based on individual case plan.
Despite the cost escalation, the project remains lower in cost in comparison to a new build.
For instance, a 26-unit affordable housing project under development in the area (Spirit River) is projected to have a construction cost of $285K per door (does not include land acquisition and development) and a 42-unit permanent housing with supports project in the City of Lethbridge is under development with a projected cost of $320k per door.
Further the project completion timelines for each of those projects is expected to be significantly longer than that of Cedar Point and will require significant additional investment to supply furniture and equipment which in large part has been included in the initial purchase.
Additionally, the costs of providing housing with supports remain lower than the costs of services and supports required to address issues related to homelessness.
No. Cedar Point uses a recovery-oriented system of care and addiction management supports. It does not include a supervised consumption site.
Residential tenancy laws apply to residents, including the prohibition of use of illicit substances on site.
Cedar Point is a housing with supports project which is a critical type of housing outlined in The Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).
Previous attempts at new-builds have not seen the success required to fully address the need. The scattered-site housing with supports system currently available to Housing First participants in Grande Prairie is limited in its effectiveness to support those with complex needs and is heavily affected by the availability of private landlords willing to lease their units to Housing First clients. The resulting impacts are straining our local emergency shelters, policing resources, and healthcare system.
In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic permitted the site to be considered as a Rapid Housing option.
Benefits of purchasing an existing site at the current location included:
• Developed land
• Economies of scale
• Turn-key infrastructure with potential for quick occupancy
• Potential divestment of City buildings and inclusion of existing furniture, appliances and equipment
• Close to health and support services
• Walking distance to amenities
• Access to transit
For these reasons, the Cedar Point was created to optimize the current economic conditions to meet our community’s needs and provide a sustainable housing with supports solution with the greatest return on investment.
A Request for Expression of Interest was issued March 26, 2021 with a submission deadline of April 12, 2021, resulting in 0 submissions
The Rezoning process was initiated May 14, 2021 and concluded June 28.
The Community Social Development, Enforcement Services, Mobile Outreach, Housing and Homeless Initiatives Grande Prairie Police Service, and Emergency Management (GPREP) departments are confirmed and committed to relocating. There are additional opportunities for other service providers to lease within the space.
The Mustard Seed is a Christian non-profit organization that has been caring for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty since 1984. Operating in six cities across Alberta and British Columbia, The Mustard Seed is a supportive haven where people can have their physical, mental, and spiritual needs met and grow toward greater health and independence.