Pinehouse residents at ground-breaking ceremony for future elders housing complex. Facebook photo courtesy of Vince Natomagan.
If all goes according to plan, there will be a new housing complex for elders in Pinehouse a couple of summers from now.
A ground-breaking ceremony for the 12-unit affordable rental housing project was held in the northern village today.
The complex will be made up of six one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units — and include common area space including a kitchen, dining area, sitting area, washrooms, laundry facilities, and a small consultation space.
Pinehouse Mayor Mike Natomagan says it will be for elders who can live on their own — and it will really help the community’s housing situation.
“A lot of elders will be moving to this complex and give their houses back to their kids and grandchildren,” he says. “It’s a very young population in Pinehouse and it’s a great need in the community — not only in the north. We have that issue, as well, here in Pinehouse, that we need housing.”
The federal and provincial governments are jointly providing $1.5 million toward the construction.
The village and Pinehouse Business North will contribute roughly $648,000 in cash, land equity and in-kind contributions.
This project will be owned by the Pinehouse Housing Corporation and built by Pinehouse Business North.