Former men's shelter being demolished to make way for new housing complex in Kitchener

A former men's shelter in Kitchener, Ont., is being demolished to make room for Friendship Village — a housing complex with 170 new affordable and supportive housing spots and wraparound services.

The former House of Friendship building at 63 Charles St. E. has been around since 1939 but closed in February 2023 to move to its current location at 190 Weber St. N. in Waterloo.

Jennifer Scott, House of Friendship's housing services director, said demolishing the former shelter and building a new space will help the organization better serve men in the community who are experiencing homelessness.

She said the organization wants to build a space to not only provide shelter, but also to increase its support to people who need access to vital community services like food, housing and addiction treatment. 

"It's hard to avoid that we need housing," Scott said on CBC K-W's The Morning Edition. "We're experiencing a homelessness crisis. We've got many folks experiencing complex mental health, addictions, opioid crises. We're seeing many folks who are experiencing homelessness and we need housing.

"We know that we can't support someone to come out of homelessness, to be stable in their housing, unless we provide them with health-care needs, unless we provide them with the complex mental health care and addiction support that they need. So, this is what we will be providing in this space."

House of Friendship has provided supportive housing on Charles Street for more than three decades. In addition to providing housing that is affordable, supportive housing includes wraparound supports and staffing to help residents successfully live independently and not return to homelessness.

Scott said Friendship Village will be built in two phases. The first will include 100 units of supportive housing, while the remaining units will be built in Phase 2.

"What we're going to be providing that is unique is, within this community that we're creating, three different levels of care, so that folks can receive the right level of care while remaining in their community," she said.

"All of the supports that people need will be available on site, not necessarily provided by House of Friendship, but in partnership throughout the community.

"Another big thing that's important for folks as they're coming out of homelessness is support with life skill development — so learning how to cook a meal, develop relationships, trust in relationships, [and] holding someone accountable," Scott added.

In April, regional councillors endorsed a plan that aims to end chronic homelessness over six years in Waterloo region.

Since January 2020, chronic homelessness has increased by 129 per cent in the region, according to the report, and if the trend continues, the number of people experiencing homelessness could triple by 2028. 

Through the plan, the region aims to take a housing first and human rights based approach. The goal is to reach "Functional Zero" by 2030, according to the report's project manager, Peter Philips. 

"Functional Zero means three or less people experiencing homelessness sustained over three months or more in a system that is tracked closely by data and by name list," he said.

Scott said House of Friendship is "working with all levels of government" to secure some funding for the Friendship Village project.

She said some of the buildings at the site have already been demolished. The former shelter itself will be demolished next week and "the first phase will be shovel-ready in about a month."

The housing complex will be built on the land formerly occupied by the men's shelter, along with adjoining properties.

This new building will add to the existing affordable and supportive housing buildings on site, Charles Village (75 Charles St.) and Eby Village (52 Eby St.), which currently provide permanent housing to 86 adults. House of Friendship administrative offices will also be co-located in Friendship Village.