• Robert’s world expanded when he moved to Grace Village, the Salvation Army’s newest supportive housing building in Edmonton.
• The 175-bed facility bridges the gap between chronic homelessness and permanent housing and provides a variety of on-site supports.
• The state-of-the-art building features solar panels, geo-thermal heating and cooling and other Net Zero Energy Ready features designed to lower operating costs.

“I may go to the gym, play a board game or even head for the local Dairy Queen.”

A little over 6 months ago, Robert moved to Grace Village, Edmonton and his world expanded.

The former heavy-duty mechanic was born and raised in Alberta. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and earned a degree in commerce, then became a licenced mechanic. Ten years into his career things started to get tough. Drugs and mental health issues began taking over and Robert started to struggle.

“I became obsessive-compulsive,” he says. “It would take me 3 or 4 hours to complete what used to take an hour.”

After some very dark days in hospital, Robert was ready to explore new housing solutions.

A group home was not a good fit, so he moved to the Salvation Army’s Stepping Stone facility. He joined the supportive living program which provides long term accommodation and supports for people who have difficulty living independently.

After living at Stepping Stone for 2 decades, he welcomed the opportunity for change. Robert accepted an offer to join the Salvation Army's new development in the northern part of the city.

Taking the next step

Opened in May 2023, Grace Village is a 175-bed facility that bridges the gap between chronic homelessness and permanent housing.

“Grace Village was built to embody 3 separate programs,” says Major Elaine Bridger, executive director, The Salvation Army, Edmonton Centre of Hope. “One of which is the supportive living program that previously operated out of the Stepping Stone facility.”

• 32 stabilization beds provide rapid, short-term housing for people waiting to enter treatment for drug or alcohol addiction
• 71 transitional beds provide safe, inclusive temporary housing for people as they transition to permanent housing, and
• 72 supportive living beds provide safe, accessible housing for people who need a higher level of support and have difficulty living independently

“The new facility also offers more community supports to those in our supportive living program,” says Major Bridger. Among those supports is Freddie, Grace Village’s in-house cat.

“Those in the program love spending time with Freddie,” says Major Bridger. “He is not lacking for attention, that’s for sure.”

Designed for health and healing

The carefully considered building design includes common areas where residents can welcome family members. The colour scheme was designed to positively impact the mental health and behaviours of residents. A spiritual care room and wellness wheel, reflect a holistic approach to health and healing and align with Indigenous healing practices.

“Spirituality means different things to different people,” says Major Bridger. “Our on-site chaplains lead weekly chapel services in the spiritual care space and it’s also a space where smudging happens.”

It’s an approach that she says has resonated well with residents.

Reducing environmental impact and operational costs

The 3-storey building was designed to perform at a high level, with minimal environmental impact.

A Net Zero Energy Ready building, Grace Village uses solar panels, geo-thermal heating and cooling, energy recovery ventilators and high efficiency water heaters to achieve net-zero energy performance.

Together, these design features will help to lower operational costs and generate savings that can be poured back into programming.

Building community

One of the things that has Grace Village has received numerous compliments on is its setting.

The walkable neighbourhood offers residents and visitors easy access to amenities such as coffee shops, big box stores and other services.

Becoming a good neighbour and having a positive impact in the community was a top priority for us.

Recognizing the impact that a large development such as Grace Village can have on an existing community, Major Bridger and her team were keen to develop good relationships with the community. Grace Village’s coffee chats provide an opportunity for the community to connect, share concerns or raise questions.

“Becoming a good neighbour and having a positive impact in the community was a top priority for us,” she says.

It’s an environment that Robert quickly adjusted to — one where he now feels at home.

“It’s an institution but people are friendly and very helpful,” he says.

He is also a fan of the catering facilities and is quick to point out that the food is all made on site. His favorites are ribs and mac and cheese.

“The place makes you feel good,” he says.

KEY FACTS

• Grace Village was supported in part by the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. This National Housing Strategy initiative supports projects that target the needs of vulnerable Canadians, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people living with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.
• CMHC also provided Seed Funding toward the project.
• The Salvation Army contributed capital funding toward the project, as well as land equity and community donations.
• The City of Edmonton provided support through its Affordable Housing Investment Program.
• The Federation of Canadian Municipalities supported the project through the Green Municipal Fund. The funding supporting the building’s Net Zero Energy Ready design, which included geothermal heating/cooling, phased-in solar panels, high-efficiency water heaters and energy recovery ventilators.

SEE ALSO

• Canada invests $10 million to build 175 homes and beds in Edmonton | CMHC (cmhc-schl.gc.ca)