Sheard Avenue Apartment Development

The Sheard Avenue building is going to be a “supported & affordable” housing development.

What are Peel’s definitions of ‘affordable’ and ‘supported housing’?

‘Affordable’ housing is considered housing that an individual can afford to pay for and still have money left over for food, clothing and other basic needs. This means rents that are held below certain levels or are directly geared to income.

‘Supported’ housing refers to housing that has additional supports in place for the residents. The supports vary from project to project and from individual to individual depending on their needs. The Region of Peel has worked over the years with many community agencies that provide support services, including Supportive Housing in Peel (SHIP). SHIP has a longstanding reputation of providing on-site support services to individuals requiring supported housing.

Who will own the Sheard Avenue building?

SHIP is the owner. SHIP is a well respected housing provider that has offered high quality housing programs and services in Peel for over two decades. SHIP will be operating under a program that is administered and monitored by the Region of Peel.

Who will operate the Sheard Avenue building?

SHIP will also operate this building. SHIP currently provides support services to over 400 individuals living independently in the community and owns and operates 4 multi-residential properties. The Sheard community will be part of a program administered and monitored by the Region of Peel. SHIP currently offers a variety of programs, and services are provided in buildings owned by Peel Living.

Who will live at the Sheard Avenue apartments?

The Sheard Avenue building will be for people that can live independently but may benefit from the type of services that SHIP offers. It should be noted that the Sheard Avenue location will not provide emergency housing. The demand for supported housing in the Region of Peel is great and this new development will help ease some of SHIP’s waiting list burden.

Is there a need for supported and affordable rental housing in downtown Brampton?

Absolutely. Although the economy in the City of Brampton is healthy and vibrant, thousands of households are only a paycheque away from losing their housing. You may already know someone who suffers from an illness such as depression. They may live on a low or fixed income and find it very difficult to cover the costs of basic necessities, including rent. The Sheard Avenue building will offer the help and supports necessary for individuals to live independently and to build personal stability.

Many of the people who will be housed at this building are already living in the community - they live with friends, family, or they are in and out of the emergency shelters. Everybody, regardless of their circumstances needs a decent and secure place to live.

Who is paying for the cost to build and run this new building?

The capital costs of the Sheard Avenue building will be funded through the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program (AHP). The Region of Peel Housing & Property Department, as service manager for the Region of Peel, will be responsible for the project management during the construction phase and for the on-going annual reporting and monitoring that is required.

Residents will be required to pay rent on a monthly basis and SHIP will be receiving funding for its services from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

How will the residents be chosen for the Sheard Avenue apartments?

The residents will be selected by SHIP. SHIP reviews all of their applications for housing based on their eligibility criteria and if approved the individual is added to their waiting list for housing and/or support services depending on their needs. SHIP currently has a waiting list with over 600 applications. It has been a common practice for SHIP to co-ordinate with the Region of Peel, which has a waiting list of 12,571 applications for affordable housing. In some cases those on the SHIP waiting list may also be on the Region’s waiting list.

Will the new building fit in well with the look of the local community?

Definitely. In fact the three story brick structure, complete with plenty of landscaping and an attractive patio area will continue the effort to transition the neighbourhood from an older industrial setting to an established residential area. We’re confident that the high quality of our building will help to set a standard for future development in the area. The Region of Peel and SHIP pride themselves on maintaining a high standard of housing that naturally blends into the existing neighbourhood. The investment by SHIP to maintain their building’s appearance and community acceptance is an important ownership principle. SHIP will also make annual contributions to its reserve funds to ensure that the building will be well maintained, for years to come.

How many units and residents will be housed in the new building?

There will be 6 bachelor and 20 one-bedroom units in the new building. It will be three storeys high and will have on site parking.

Will there be staff on site?

SHIP staff will be available on site to provide support, training and assistance to those residents that require these services.

SHIP offers a variety of in-house programs to support their residents. Once the resident’s are selected, SHIP will complete the schedule of activities for the resident needs. Overall, life safety and wellness are priorities in SHIP buildings.

Won’t this just be another group home?

No. The Sheard Avenue building will offer independent living, which means each resident has their own apartment unit. Each unit will contain the same features as any standard apartment building. However, program controls allow us to do what a private landlord cannot do and that is to ensure that a suitable number of residents are living in the units and that there is compliance with all program rules.

Will local property values be impacted by the new building?

All partners involved in this development believe that the addition of this exciting building and the investment of several million dollars will influence others to continue the process of neighbourhood revitalization by investing in well planned and capably operated developments.

Significant research all over North America, including the Region’s own studies, show that there is no impact on local property values with the addition of non-profit housing development. One of these studies was overseen by the Brampton and Mississauga Real Estate Boards.

The Region of Peel, through its non-profit housing provider Peel Living, owns and manages over 6,900 apartments and townhouses in 70 buildings across the Region. It has been the Region’s experience, time and time again, that local property values are not impacted by any new affordable housing developments.

Isn’t there too much social housing in this neighbourhood already?

Although who owns or rents independent housing anywhere in Ontario is not a matter for municipal approval, The Region is very aware of its social obligations to both the tenants and the community at large. Since taking over the Ontario Housing Corporation buildings in 2001, the Region of Peel has made a significant financial investment to clean them up and make them a place that many are proud to call home. Seniors and families living in these buildings have reported a greater satisfaction in their living conditions and are extremely appreciative of efforts to resolve some of the social problems that existed.

Peel Living is working hard to also reduce the number of subsidized units in the Ontario Housing Corporation stock, to enhance the sense of broader community integration. By re-renting vacant units at full market rent they are able to move the subsidy to another building where the need is greater. We do not anticipate adding any additional subsidized units to this neighbourhood by the time this building is complete.

It should be noted that the rents charged for the Sheard Avenue building have no impact on the municipal zoning process.

I am worried about our safety. Aren’t you just bringing problems into our community?

While we know that no neighbourhood is immune from potential safety issues, it is a commitment to prevention and responses to problems that make us feel safe.

For starters, as a reputable and capable landlord, SHIP has the capacity and experience to deal with residents who are not complying with their tenancy obligations and will take the necessary steps to remove those whose behaviour or actions are disruptive. Second, the Peel Regional Police are a regional service and as such, buildings and programs receiving regional support get a quick response. Regional staff, community agencies and police officers from all across Peel meets on a regular basis to discuss prevention strategies and resolve issues as they arise. These meetings include members of City and Regional Councils and our accountability to them and their accountability to the public provides a much stronger awareness of neighbourhood issues than may be the case in the private sectors.

For more information about SHIP and its programs, please call: Janice Peters, (905) 795-8742 ext. 222

For more information about the construction of the Sheard Avenue building please call Laura Kemble, Region of Peel, (905) 453-1300 ext. 3660