Overview

Sudbury Reside Project

By creating employment opportunities and new units of deeply affordable housing with wraparound supports, Raising the Roof’s Reside provides a tangible, targeted long-term solution to ending homelessness in Canada.

Raising the Roof is renovating 5 single family houses into 10 units of affordable housing. The new homes will be made available to people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness in the Sudbury area. Raising the Roof will ensure that the tenants have ongoing, wraparound supports through local community organizations and that the homes remain in good condition through regular property management maintenance.

The renovations are being completed by Community Builders, who is using the construction process as a vehicle to train and employ people with barriers to employment. These projects will be the foundation projects of the launch of new Sudbury division of Community Builders. In this way, the project has double impact, preventing homelessness not only by the creation of new units of affordable housing, but also by connecting people who are at risk of homelessness with construction careers.

Project Impact

35

people with barriers to employment who will receive training, employment and support during the Sudbury Reside project renovations

10

new units of deeply affordable housing will be created

25

people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness that will have a safe, affordable home with ongoing wraparound supports

172

people whose lives have been changed through full time employment in the trades and affordable housing with supports through the Reside program so far (and we're just getting started!)

Ribbon Cutting - Start of Construction

Dan, Sudbury Reside trainee

Community Builders took down all of my barriers. I was unemployed, on disability, and an addict with a criminal record. In just one year, all of that has changed for me. They’ve helped me find stable housing, helped me find treatment as well as helped me with my mental health issues.

Carly [Community Builders North Director] has helped me so much. She is helping me work on getting back visitation rights with my kids. She has helped me access a lawyer and she keeps me on track. She checks up on me by making sure I am doing everything I can to maintain employment.

[If someone is considering applying to Community Builders North], I would tell them that this is the best decision you could ever make. If you have any barriers, the sky is the limit for what these people will do for you. They’ll teach you responsibility and reliability. Without this program I wouldn’t be where I am today.

-Dan, current trainee gaining hands-on experience on the Sudbury Reside sites

Carly Gasparini, Community Builders North

Our organization will be providing hands on paid training in construction principles by employing trainees to complete renovations to the existing building in partnership with Raising the Roof. Similar to our ongoing program based out of Barrie, Sudbury trainees are taught employment readiness skills, life skills and receive hands on construction training in a supportive and supervised environment. Each trainee receives a personal case manager who will work with them to create an individualized employment plan and pathways that will lead them to a prosperous career in the trades of their interest. The case manager can also help to identify and support them through any barriers that could hinder their training or employment such as transportation, mental health, housing or food security.

This opportunity is especially important to the development of Community Builders North as it represents the first tranche of significant contracts for the organization, allowing us to establish consistent pipeline of work and enhance our ability to take on new cohorts of trainees in the future.

Completed Reside Project Tenant

I am able to focus on achieving my goals in a realistic way. I live independently and know where to get supports. In this short amount of time, I have been able to achieve goals and set new ones. I look forward to what is next. Thank you.

Joe, Community Builders Construction Training Program Grad

“The program has taught me that I’m capable of learning lots of new things, even during the hardest times of my life, and that no matter what obstacles are in your way, anything is possible. “

Joe is a 23 year old who participated in Community Builders’ Construction Training Program. A few weeks into the program, he confided in one of the trainers that he was sleeping outside on the street. With the money he had earned in the program and the help of the Community Builders staff, he was able to rent an apartment. Now Joe works full time at Community Builders as part of their construction crew and aspires to one day build a house from the ground up.

Bart Day, Senior Vice President, Day Group

We are impressed by the work Community Builders is doing and their commitment to training and working with people with barriers to employment. Day Construction believes in this work and is ready to support in any way we can.

There is ample work in our region and we are in desperate need for skilled tradespeople in the construction sector. We support the work of Community Builders and believe that hiring tradespeople with diverse backgrounds will strengthen not only the community but our company as well.

Project timeline

May 2022

Spring 2023

Summer 2023

Fall 2024

May 2022

Construction began on the first two houses the first week of May 2022. The Community Builders North team started interior demotion, renovation of the main floor and basement into two modern, energy efficient unit of housing.

Spring 2023

Raising the Roof estimates that the renovations of the first two properties will be completed by Spring 2023.

Summer 2023

Raising the Roof anticipates that the first families and individuals that are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing homelessness will move into their new homes by summer 2023. Local organizations will provide property management and ongoing wraparound supports to the tenants.

The Community Builders North team will begin renovating the third and fourth properties.

Fall 2024

Raising the Roof estimates that by fall 2024, the renovations will be complete on all 5 properties, resulting in 10 new units of affordable housing with supports and 35 people with barriers to employment will have had hands on training and employment as they completed the renovations.

Sudbury