Building on the initial success of 25 Leonard Avenue, St. Clare's has added more affordable housing at the same site. In 2004 St. Clare's received funding to add two more storeys to 25 Leonard Avenue. This phase added 26 single bachelor apartments to the building, providing inexpensive, permanent housing for 26 more people who are currently homeless or living in shelters. These people are able to live independently, but have been unable to secure affordable housing.
The new self-contained units - often called Single Room Occupancy (SRO) - have their own bathroom and kitchenette. SRO units are widely used in supportive housing projects. In the United States, SRO units have proven to be a cost-effective way to provide transitional housing for people who are homeless.
The kitchen includes a 20" stove, a 22" refrigerator and a built-in combination table/counter. The unit has a bulkhead on 2 sides that provides overhead in-suite storage for the residents. The units face onto a garden space which will extend the use of the apartments.
The frames for the apartments were manufactured off-site and lifted into place at the end of September 2005. Using manufactured components is one of the innovative aspects of the project.
Occupancy began in March 2006.
With the completion of this project, St. Clare's will have developed a total of 173 new affordable housing units since 2001.
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