By Halima Mautbur
The Salvation Army will soon move 16 homeless men into a red-bricked, 100 year old house at 1167 Gladstone, opened as transitional housing to help men to get off the streets.
But Transition House “isn’t just another shelter,” says Perry Row, the army’s director of programs in Ottawa. “There’s things [the men] are expected to do, and not to do.”
They’re expected to have an income, whether from employment or social insurance, because they will pay an individually determined rent. Row estimates that rent will likely cost between $400 to 500 per month for most.
The men must also pay for other things, such as credit card and telephone bills. They must also cook their own meals in a shared kitchen, clean the house, and search for a permanent residence to move to. These measures are meant to encourage independent living, says Row.
Learning new skills and this type of transitional housing is something that Austin Davis, says is useful for people like him. Ruddy-cheeked as he begs for money on the Mackenzie King Bridge, Davis’ current home is the Union Mission shelter, not too far from where’s he’s begging.
“Four years ago, you could rent a room for about $325 a month in this city,” says Davis. “Now, I look through the newspapers and there’s nothing at all for $400 … mostly $450 and above is the price of most of the rent.
“When people are only getting $520 (in social assistance) a month it’s not leaving them very much money to live on. They probably barely got enough money left over to buy a bus pass to go to all the shelters and churches for food.”
Row says that up to 5,000 people use shelters in Ottawa every year. He also acknowledges that people who’ve been in shelters for a long time may not have the skills, such as cooking and looking after their own rooms, that will be needed at a transition house. These are not the only criteria thatpotential residents will be judged on.
The project hasn’t been easily accepted by everyone. Row says that throughout its planning and development, community members voiced many concerns at public meetings.
He says one of the complaints involved the screening for residents, because citizens were worried about the children at Connaught elementary school next-door and the elderly at the long-term care facility, Grace Manor. Row says the recommendations voiced at the meetings were implemented.
The stricter screening for candidates includes a background check, references and an interview with a selection committee comprised of members of the community, the Salvation Army and other social assistance organizations.
Row says the screening also means it’s less likely for there to be an attack at Transition House like the recent stabbing at the Salvation Army’s Booth Centre.
Another recommendation from the community is for 24-hour on-site supervisors, which Row says has been worked into the budget of the house.
The house itself cost $1.2 million to build, but he says the house will cost the Salvation Army around $400,000 per year to maintain.
Trudy Sutton, the executive director of Housing Help, a housing assistance organization, says it’s worthwhile.
“For me, the key thing is that whether it’s housing with supports or just regular independent housing, we still need more of both kinds in Ottawa,” she says.