Holyrood is Open!
We couldn’t have asked for a better day…
to open the long awaited Holyrood supportive housing (SH) site. The sun streamed through the wall to ceiling windows as visiting dignitaries stepped to the podium and officially declared the 63-unit Holyrood program open for business.
The federal, provincial and municipal government funded construction of the Holyrood site which will be managed by Homeward Trust and operated by the George Spady Society. At the opening, these partner representatives spoke to the importance of collaboration in addressing the needs of the houseless community: MLA Leduc-Beaumont, Brandon Lunty, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, Ward Metis councillor, Ashley Salvador, CEO of Homeward Trust, Susan McGee, and the CEO of the George Spady Society, Dawn-Marie Diab.
The Holyrood site is a striking building outside and inside. The open entry and common space set the tone with large windows and circular features. Those features are echoed in a large cultural room that will be shared with the community and service partners. Resident units are open studio designs with bathrooms that are wheel-chair accessible. Each floor has screened balconies, laundry rooms and flex rooms that can be furnished to encourage resident socializing.
Work on this new facility was in process last fall and staff recruitment began early this year. The team of 30 is now in place and well trained. Delays in opening the facility gave Program Manager, Joanita Udinyiwe, time to deploy Holyrood staff to other GSS SH programs for their added support and for an excellent training opportunity for her new team.
As the site prepared to open, Joanita and the Case Managers were busy reviewing referrals from community sources including Homeward Trust Edmonton Coordinated Access. The target is to fill the 63 units by year end and, given the referral rate and need in the community, Joanita expects to readily meet that target. In the meantime, staff are preparing baskets of basic household necessities to give those 63 individuals a warm welcome to their bright new home at Holyrood.
Getting to this point has been a combination of patience and preparation for Joanita and her staff. Now that the site is actually open, Joanita finds that……
[pending]
To learn more about this newest GSS program, plan to attend the November 19th GSS General Staff Meeting where Joanita will showcase the Holyrood site.
