Public hearings include Streets Alive, Wood’s Homes properties

By Lethbridge Herald on July 22, 2024.

The properties at 925 (foreground) and 921 19 St. S., across from the emergency department at Chinook Regional Hospital, will be the focus of a public hearing this afternoon on a rezoning application by Wood’s Homes Society to run a group home in the two properties for a total of nine youth. Herald photo by Al Beeber

Al Beeber – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

A public hearing will be held this afternoon in council chambers on a proposed land use bylaw amendment for a property owned by Streets Alive. It is one of five public hearings to be staged today.

The hearings start at 3 p.m.

The amendment for the Streets Alive property would allow the building located at 925 15 St. S. to be used as supportive housing for 32 residents. 

A report to council states that the proposed Direct Control Bylaw 6443 “is based closely on the current High Density Residential (R-100) district to maintain the appropriate development standards for the existing building while allowing supportive housing as a use.” 

The building was constructed in 1978 and has an approved development permit for use as an eight-unit apartment building.

Streets Alive has utilized it for the last four years to provide housing without social supports or services, says the report to council.

Bylaw 6442 would allow the Streets Alive Family Support Association to provide housing with supports and services for their clients, says the report.

“Allowing 32 residents would allow the applicant to meet their operational as well as community needs. As identified in the Municipal Housing Strategy (MHS), the community has an acute shortage of supportive housing units which this rezoning application would help to address,” says the report, noting that the MHS as of 2019 had determined that an additional 390 supportive housing units would be needed in this city to meet the identified need. It recommended that 30 new units be built each year.

In his application, Streets Alive co-founder Ken Kissick says his organization presently operates 60 beds in six facilities in Lethbridge, 30 of which are supportive and the other 30 “supervised affordable. This growth has been largely driven by the need for this type of housing to achieve the goals of dealing with addiction and the resulting homelessness,” he states in his submission.

The building at 925 15 St. S. presently is “a stage 2-3 residential unit for up to 16 men. Our renovation plans will see the addition of a 16-bedroom pod that will allow for stage 1-3 residents in one facility. This will create a total of 32 supportive housing beds.”

His submission says the rezoning will have “significant efficiency and cost-saving benefits” including greater peer interaction among those in recovery. It also afford better success for clients and there will be substantial operating cost savings, it notes.

The facility would have 24-hour staff providing supports while planned renovations would modernize the look of the facility, “bringing a new freshness to the neighbourhood.”

Streets Alive bought the property on June 17.

Kissick told The Herald earlier this month that “Kissick says public safety is in mind while planning and executing a project such as this. We are strong advocates for ensuring that we have a safe community.”

Another public hearing this afternoon will held on an application by Wood’s Homes Society to allow the buildings at 921 and 925 19 St. S. to be used as a group home for nine youth.

A report to council says the properties are currently zoned Specialist Office and the two buildings are single detached dwellings. After the adoption of the Specialists Office Plan in 2001, they were rezoned from Low Density to P-SO and the interiors converted into specialist offices.

Wood’s Homes has converted them back to residences. Adoption of Direct Control Bylaw 6447 would allow the properties to be used as group homes. If approved, one building would house for youth, and the other five.

A presentation to be made to council says the properties were previously used as medical clinics but were vacant until Wood’s Homes purchased them in March. They have space for as many as 10 on-site parking stall and no exterior modifications are presently planned.

The organization says they will serve youth aged five to 17.

The homes will be staffed 24 hours a day with a minimum of two staff per house on duty at all time. The staffing complement will include 17-full-time trained staff.