Gatineau tiny homes community to welcome residents by Christmas

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The country’s largest community of tiny homes is expected to open in Gatineau by Christmas, providing a refuge for up to 100 people who now find themselves homeless.

The innovative project, known as Village Transitiôn, will replace the tent city that opened last year in the parking lot beside Robert Guertin Arena.

“The project is on track and is progressing well,” said Sylvie Charbonneau, a spokesperson for The Devcore Group, the development firm spearheading the project.

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The village’s water, sewer and electrical systems are now being built and connected to those from the City of Gatineau.

The Village Transitiôn community will be composed of 85 modified shipping containers each replete with a bed, sink, toilet, fridge, storage space, even a small porch. The containers — units will be either 100 or 150 square feet — will also include heating, conditioning and high-speed internet access. The larger units will feature double beds and full kitchens.

The village will also include two communal kitchens, laundry facilities, a greenhouse, garden, dog park, bicycle repair shop and an intervention centre with social and psychological support services.

Last month, the City of Gatineau announced it would commit $1.5 million to the project, which is being managed by the non-profit group Transitiôn Québec. The city also agreed to lease a portion of the land beside the Robert Guertin Arena to the group for 10 years.

When the lease expires, the land and its serviced lots will be returned to the city.

Nancy Martineau, director general of Transitiôn Québec, said the first modified shipping container was scheduled to arrive in three weeks.

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“Our goal is to be able to place 72 people before Christmas, and the rest after Christmas,” she said Wednesday.

To qualify for a unit, potential residents must be currently homeless, at least 18 years of age and Quebec residents.

This week, Martineau said, the first 82 people approved for spots in Village Transitiôn will receive their letters of acceptance.

The tiny homes community is funded through an unusual collaboration bringing together both public and private sources of revenue.

Revenue sources include a $3-million bank loan underwritten by Transitiôn Québec and $2.5 million from the sale of the housing units to private individuals and companies. Rent payments will be used to repay the loan and to make interest payments to investors.

The approach, Martineau said, allows a diverse set of actors — philanthropists, entrepreneurs, businesses and foundations — to participate in a local, sustainable project to combat homelessness.

The Outaouais health authority’s mental health and addiction programs directorate will also contribute staff resources to the village.

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Tenants in the village will contribute about 30 per cent of their monthly incomes toward rent, expected to be anywhere from $200 to $500. They’ll also be required to subscribe to a financial trust that will deposit social assistance cheques and manage monthly rent payments.

The tiny homes at Village Transitiôn are intended to be a transitional form of housing where residents can recover from the physical and psychological toll of homelessness and develop the skills they need to move up in the housing market. Martineau said she expected residents would stay in the village between one and five years.

“We want to give them the time to rest, and think about their future,” she said.

Martineau said she hoped the model would be replicated in other cities. Already, she said, officials from Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Granby, Que., have been in touch with Transitiôn Québec to tap its experience.

Village Transitiôn will be about twice as big as the tiny homes community in Peterborough, Ont., which last year opened 50 tiny, modular homes on the edge of downtown to help that city’s homeless population survive the winter.

Andrew Duffy is a National Newspaper Award-winning reporter and long-form feature writer based in Ottawa. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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