We were so glad to see a new resident of @indwell.ca `s Strathearne Suites featured on the front page of the Hamilton Spectator this morning! Before moving in, Jean had been living in an encampment along the escarpment rail trail. Now, as reporter Teviah Moro describes, he’s enjoying “a bright studio pad” - with simple but life-changing comforts like hot water, a stove, a soft bed, and a lockable door.
Our Strathearne Suites project transformed a former East Hamilton rooming house to support tenants with low incomes and higher needs. The redevelopment added a 3,300 ft² addition with a new entrance, elevator, and shared spaces, along with upgrades to kitchens, finishes, windows, roofing, insulation, and building systems. The goal: to create a safe, dignified home where tenants like Jean can start again.
As Moro points out in his article, Homelessness in Hamilton is a multilayered problem - "driven by overlapping factors: out-of-reach rents, untreated mental illness, relentless addiction, lagging social-assistance rates, and a decades-long retreat of government investment in social housing." Jean’s story is a powerful reminder of how supportive housing can offer hope and dignity in the face of such an overwhelming crisis.
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