A new building at the Avens Pavilion means more housing units have been created for more than a hundred seniors. But AVENS CEO Daryl Dolynny says the work is far from over.
"There's going to be a lot of community-based programming offered in the building," said Dolynny. "Some of it will be managed by the residents themselves. Some of them will be other companies that will come in and help support some of these things."
The new building, which had its ribbon-cutting on Jan. 16, serves as community living for affordable housing, as Dolynny described it. It features 102 units, 10 of which are two-bedroom units, the rest being one bedroom.
"Out of those one-bedrooms, we've got 28 of them which are considered fully-accessible units," he said, adding that there's a unique concept behind those spaces, thanks to the accessibility.
"The 28 units are designed specifically for those seniors that have mobility or barrier-free requirements," said Dolynny, mentioning people with wheelchairs and walkers specifically. "Everything from how the cabinets are set up in the kitchen to how we configure a bathroom, and all the support that goes with that."
It's been years in the making to have the building finally open. Dolynny noted that the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2023 wildfire season posed unforeseen challenges, on top of almost not having enough funding to make it to the finish line. He credited the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for lending a hand about halfway through the building's construction.
"We were very thankful that CMHC came to our aid mid-contract and topped up our finances in order to deal with the economies that we were facing... in 2023," he said, referring to the wildfires.
The new building also features a games room, sewing room, a pub, spas and more. And with those additions will come more staff.
"We're going to be adding staff to meet the needs as we continue to grow and launch these various services," said Dolynny.
Avens is now about halfway through its fundraising to help cover the costs of the building's "enhancements" as Dolynny put it, naming things like spa rooms, greenery, photos and extra benches.
The fundraising began in November and has so far raised about $400,000, which is near the halfway mark, according to Dolynny.
He said his favourite part of the pavilion is the choice it offers seniors.
"We've now opened up the opportunity to provide seniors more choice than they've ever had before when it comes to housing options," he said.
