A downtown shelter is looking to expand the number of beds it can provide for overnight accommodation and the size of its facility.
Officials with Stepping Stone have applied to the city’s committee of adjustment for permission to add a level to its 23-25 Gordon St. shelter – making it three storeys tall – opening the way to offer 75 total beds.
“Stepping Stone continues to adapt to the needs of individuals and families that are homeless in our community. Currently we need more shelter and transitional housing spaces in our community for people on their journey to permanent housing,” explained executive director Gail Hoekstra in an email to GuelphToday.
“Ideally we want to have different pathways to suit the needs of our community members that are homeless.
“As an organization we want all of our programs to support individuals and families on their overall journey to finding a permanent home; to live in good health and be surrounded by a community in which they belong. In the work we do, we find all three of these goals critical for people on the journey out of homelessness.”
The County of Wellington has agreed to provide operational and capital funding for the project, Hoekstra noted.
It’s not known what the project timeline will be, if approved by the committee, she added. But Hoekstra hopes to see it up and running in 2024.
Under current zoning rules, the shelter is required to provide an additional 22 parking spaces for the expansion, based on gross floor space.
However, Stepping Stone is also seeking an exemption to that requirement.
“Proponent(s) are of the opinion that emergency shelter uses do not warrant on-site parking provision equivalent to that for office uses, particularly in the downtown area,” the application notes.
The committee will consider Stepping Stone’s requests during its Jan. 11 meeting at city hall, which begins at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live at guelph.ca/live.
Anyone wishing to submit written comments for the committee to consider must emailed to [email protected] by noon on Jan. 4. Anyone wanting to speak to the committee should register by noon on Jan. 10 by emailing or calling 519-822-1260 ext. 2524.
