Residents welcomed into Beaverton supportive housing development

After years of construction, complaints and inter-council legal battles, the Beaverton Supportive Housing unit has finally welcomed its first residents.

The Beaverton Supportive Housing building will be home to 47 currently unsheltered people and provide them with round-the-clock mental and physical health treatment services.

“Transitional supportive housing helps residents physically and mentally, providing the life skills necessary to successfully transition into permanent housing,” the Region wrote.

The units have been in the works for several years, causing no small amount of controversy along the way. Following extensive pushback from some residents about the building, Brock Township blocked the construction of modular buildings like the supportive housing unit through a by-law.

This, in turn, prompted a lawsuit from the region, which claimed the block amounted to the illegal practice of “people zoning,” or zoning based on who people are rather than what kind of home they live in.

Ultimately, the Region and the Township were able to come to an agreement that featured numerous concessions for Brock. These included increased surveillance on site, a 30/20 split between homeless and improperly housed people, a full-time cop in town, a requirement for residents to engage in services, and a family doctor for the town.

However, the delays caused the project budget to nearly double due to inflation and a rise in construction costs linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the budget increased from $13.5 million to $25 million, or 86 per cent.

After years of conflict, the doors are set to open by the end of 2024. Residents will be phased in gradually, with priority going to people who are currently homeless and from North Durham.

Homelessness in Durham’s rural northern reaches has increased dramatically in the last few years. In 2022, the charity North House reported the number of people they were helping skyrocketed from 177 in 2021 to 454 last summer. There are no shelters in the north other than the Beaverton building.

However, once the Township and the Region negotiated the concessions, the project began to move quickly.

The region chose the charity Blue Door after an extensive process in September. Blue Door has been working to end homelessness since 1982. They already operate 10 other programs like the one coming to Beaverton in Durham, York, and Peel Regions. These programs aim to alleviate homelessness by addressing its root causes via housing, employment, and health programs.

Additionally, the Federal and Provincial governments provided $11 million for both the Beaverton project and the comparative Whitby shelter at 835 McQuay Boulevard. The Whitby shelter faced similar resistance from local residents but was able to open in March.

“We are excited to welcome program participants to Beaverton Heights and support them on their journey to permanent housing. Transitional housing provides the supports and life skills necessary for life stabilization, and I look forward to the success stories that will come from this residence,” said Commissioner of Social Services Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou.