Affordable housing project gets off the ground in West End Winnipeg
WINNIPEG, MB—The conversion of St. Matthew's Anglican Church to affordable community housing is a few steps closer to becoming a reality.
Framing began in March for the 25-unit low income housing development portion of the WestEnd Commons, "a collaborative community of hope, joy and strength" in Winnipeg's West End.
In addition to the housing development, the Commons will include a worship space shared by five distinct worshipping congregations, and a neighbourhood resource centre that houses six agencies and programs dedicated to building up the people of west-central Winnipeg.
"It's exciting," says Cathy Campbell, a priest at St. Matthew's, who also serves as vice chair on the board that oversees the Commons. "We've had a terribly long time of preparation and demolition, and now we're finally ready to do construction."
Campbell adds that this past November, all of the programs and congregations that work and worship out of the Commons moved downstairs to the lower level of the building, in anticipation of the housing development's construction. The lower level is 95 per cent complete.
When it is completed, the housing development will include a 1,000-square foot atrium, 3 one-bedroom, 17 two-bedroom, 3 three-bedroom and 2 four-bedroom units, specifically for single parent families, newcomers to Canada, First Nations families, people with mental health challenges and others in the West End.
The WestEnd Commons is a project of St. Matthew's Non-Profit Housing Inc., a partnership between Grain of Wheat Church-Community and St. Matthew's Anglican Church.
The group still needs to raise $1.3 million to complete the project. Campbell says she hopes it will be open in February 2014.
"I would invite people's prayer support and financial support for the project," Campbell says. "We're trying to continue to worship and work while this construction is going on and our neighbourhood needs all the prayer and support that we have to offer.
"We pray that God would keep us safe and to help make the vision all that it can be."
Dear Readers:
ChristianWeek relies on your generous support. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire.
Donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable receipt.Thank you, from Christianweek.
