A proposal to turn the Parkview Motel into supportive housing for the city’s most vulnerable residents will be discussed during a virtual town hall meeting next week.
The meeting, announced by Ward 2 councillors James Gordon and Rodrigo Goller at ward2guelph.ca, will be held Thursday, Sept. 17, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Gail Hoekstra, executive director of the Welcome Drop-in Centre, who brought the plan forward at a recent council meeting, and Adrienne Crowder, manager of Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy, will be part of the town hall.
“There has been a lot of misinformation about the project,” Gordon told GuephToday of the inspiration for the meeting. “We thought we better find an opportunity to get all the facts straight, hear directly from the drop-in centre … and also to have everyone’s voice heard.”
One of the major misconceptions, Gordon notes, is that the plan calls for a homeless shelter, which it does not. Rather, the plan is for permanent supportive housing which is more stable and less transient than a shelter.
Last month, Hoekstra told council her organization is in the process of buying the hotel, at 721 Woolwich St., for $3.8 million. If the deal is finalized, the hotel could provide housing for 30 to 35 people.
The hotel is currently being used as a shelter for homeless people during the pandemic.
Hoekstra noted a 30 per cent down payment is needed for the deal to be done. City staff is looking into the proposal and is expected to report back to council next month.
The meeting will be hosted online using the City of Guelph’s online meeting platform:
Date: Thursday September 17, 2020
Time: 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Link to Join the Virtual Town Hall: https://guelph.webex.com/guelph/j.php?MTID=m9ce67bb538c15e2dc134df03ab2f52dc
Meeting number: 173 689 9795 Password: aUGEemwx832
Join by phone: 1-416-216-5643 or 1-613-714-9906 Access code: 173 689 9795
Anyone interested in asking questions is asked to submit them in advance to the two councillors - [email protected] or [email protected] - so “we can allow enough time during the meeting to address everyone’s questions and concerns.”
