More Affordable and Accessible Housing for London Seniors

As seniors increasingly make up a growing part of the demographic, seniors’ housing continues to play an important role in creating liveable and inclusive communities. Residenza Ortona is doing its part to ensure that London seniors have access to safe, accessible and affordable housing.

The 60-unit project features 54 affordable apartments of which 19 are fully accessible. All of the apartments are 1 bedroom. 10 apartments are dedicated to veterans through referrals from the Royal Canadian Legion.

Project scope and expected outcomes

Residenza Ortona is the second affordable housing project built by the Italian Seniors Project. The organization is made up of a group of local residents who came together to meet a need in their community. Working with a local builder, they develop safe, affordable and accessible housing for seniors and other people in need.

The Italian Seniors Project built their first project, a 52 unit building for seniors, in 2012. This project is across the street from Residenza Ortona. The organization’s previous experience with seniors’ housing benefited Residenza Ortona several ways:

• Having completed a previous project allowed for some economies of scale in project financing.
• Their solid reputation and track record as a seniors’ housing provider added weight to the viability of applications for financing for the current project.
• They worked with Southside Construction, a well known, experienced local builder with a good reputation for completing construction on time and on budget.

The builder and property manager have over 30 years of experience. Cheshire London provides support services to residents occupying the accessible units. The organization offers 24/7 care to their clients and uses 1 of the building’s units as an office.

To help cover costs during the early stages of the project’s development, CMHC provided Seed Funding. CMHC also provided financing through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. This financing was through a low-cost loan of $6,447,649 and a forgivable loan of $682,000. In partnership with the province of Ontario, the project also received funding through the Investment in Affordable Housing.

The City of London contributed in kind costs. Since the Italian Seniors Project has a charitable designation, the organization is not required to pay property taxes.

HDC (Housing Development Corporation, London), a municipal service organization, provided a capital contribution of $433,040. HDC also helped to structure partnership arrangements with support service providers to identify local needs and priority populations. HDC also supported the Italian Seniors Project in navigating municipal planning and approvals. London Community Foundation provided temporary land acquisition financing.

In addition to providing referals, the Royal Canadian Legion provides on-site programming and support that meet the unique needs of veterans. The Legion occupies 1 common room for support services for veterans. The common room is rented out, when available, to generate income. The building includes another common room with a kitchen for all residents to enjoy.

Affordability, accessibility and energy efficiency outcomes

The National Housing Co-Investment Fund has affordability, accessibility and environmental efficiency requirements.

Location

• Residenza Ortona is located at 1090 Hamilton Road, London across the street from Residenza Italia, a 52 unit project built by Italian Seniors Project in 2012.
• Services and amenities including grocery stores and other shopping, public transit, healthcare services, a pharmacy, park and community centre are located within 1 kilometre of the project.

Accessibility features

• Residenza Ortona was built with the needs of seniors in mind, meaning safety and accessibility are a top priority.
• The project’s 60 one-bedroom units are served by two elevators and all common areas are universally accessible.
• There is grade access at three different entry points, automatic door openers, larger corridors, a fully accessible common washroom, signage and way finding.
• 19 units are accessible, featuring wider doorways, turning radii, fully accessible kitchens with custom appliances, roll-in showers, accessible sinks, and appropriately placed switches, closet bars and outlets.
• All other units are fully visitable and 12 are able to be fully converted to an accessible unit, if the need arises.
• The building features fully accessible shared spaces including a common room for residents to gather and for programming.
• A fully accessible public washroom is available in the common area.
• Scooter and bike storage.
• Accessible parking is available on site.