A partnership between the city of St. Thomas and Indwell is transforming the former Balaclava Street elementary school.
A former St. Thomas elementary school is being converted into 78 supportive housing units.
A partnership between the city of St. Thomas and Indwell – a charity based in Hamilton that creates supportive housing – will transform the former Balaclava Street public school into a housing development that will provide support to residents to maintain their health, housing and independence.
“This redevelopment is a critical part of our ongoing efforts to address the housing challenges in our community,” St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston said in a city news release.
Indwell will convert the former school into 36 units, and 42 units will be housed in a new addition to the building.
“The need for supportive housing has never been more urgent, and this partnership with Indwell is an essential part of the solution,” Preston said.
The city says the redevelopment of the former school is part of its strategy to address homelessness, ensuring “all residents have access to resources needed for stability and well-being.”
The school redevelopment marks the third supportive housing collaboration between Indwell and St. Thomas, said Jeff Neven, Indwell’s chief executive. The other two are the Station in the city’s east and Railway City Lofts on Talbot Street.
“St. Thomas is really a leader in Canada on the elimination of homelessness, and this project is just one piece in a comprehensive plan to overcome homelessness,” Neven said in a phone interview.
The Balaclava Street school is an adaptive reuse project, in which Indwell repurposes unoccupied spaces to create housing, he said.
Of the more than 30 supportive housing projects created by Indwell, more than half have been adaptive reuse projects, Neven said, including locations in London and Woodstock.
The practice preserve buildings and ensures spaces aren’t left empty, he said.
Adaptive reuse “is something that we love and believe in, because it brings new life to heritage buildings, that preserves their history,” Neven said. “(It) also ensures that those buildings have a purpose going forward.”
Indwell is working with St. Thomas to acquire the building permits. Typically, construction is complete about 18 to 24 months after permits are secured, Neven said. He predicts the project will be complete in 2027 or 2028.
The partnership is the latest initiative from St. Thomas to address the need for more housing in the city.
Project Tiny Hope, an affordable housing project on Kain Street, is a collaboration between YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin, Doug Tarry Homes and Sanctuary Homes. The community of 40 tiny homes, a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units, will house 66 residents and include supportive services. Project Tiny Home already has broken ground and is expected to be complete by 2026.
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