40-unit transitional home in Sudbury, Ont., to welcome occupants in December

Faced with the issues of chronic homelessness, substance use and homeless encampments the City of Greater Sudbury is hoping a40-unit transitional housing project on Lorraine Street will help alleviate the situation.

The project has faced several hurdles including, construction delays because of the pandemic and opposition from people in the neighbourhood. But the plans are moving forward and the city expects the building to welcome its first occupants in December 2023.

Cindi Briscoe, the northern Ontario city's manager of housing services, said builders will be able to erect the modular building, located on Lorraine Street, in just two to three weeks.

"Modular is like, I'm going to compare it to a trailer," Briscoe said.

"So it's like a self-contained unit. It's got a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. It looks exactly like an apartment, but it's built in modules and the modules are set together very similarly."

The complex will be for people with mental health and addiction challenges who are committed to recovery.

"It's a volunteer program," Briscoe said.

"We're not forcing people to move into this building. It's people who want to move in."

Tyler Campbell, the city's director of children and social services, said the Health Sciences North Hospital will manage the recovery program at the transitional home.

"It's based on literature and research that has been done in different areas of Canada in terms of using integrated ACTteams, or Assertive Community Treatment teams, to deal with chronic homelessness," Campbell said.

"And those results have been positive."

Campbell added people who no longer wish to continue with the treatment program will be asked to leave the transitional home.

In addition to the transitional housing units on Lorraine Street, the city also expects to open a 14-unithousing project geared to seniors by early 2024.

The building, located on Sparks Street, was initially expected to open in 2022.