The nature of the project and proponent organisations provided great potential for partnerships with mission-aligned organisations. The CCBC rectory redevelopment project is in partnership with Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (WOCRC), FAMSAC Food Cupboard (FAMSAC), and Cornerstone Housing for Women (Cornerstone).

WOCRC and FAMSAC will have dedicated office and program space on the ground floor of the building. Purpose-built space with access to a commercial kitchen and food storage area will allow WOCRC and FAMSAC to expand their current level of service and create the potential for a neighbourhood food and community service hub.

Ten units will be allocated as supportive housing for women referred by partner organisations, WOCRC and Cornerstone. WOCRC will provide support services to the tenants of the ten supportive housing units, and Cornerstone will provide administrative and property management services for the building.

Overall the concept is greater than the sum of its parts. The affordable housing is intended to be part of a platform for building community with tenants and with the church. This synergistic relationship will bring great value to the site, its tenants, and the community.

We have been able to steadily progress this project over the past two years, led by the ADO’s and CCBC’s strong commitment to serving the community. Early in the project, we received a grant though the CMHC Seed Funding program to conduct a feasibility study for the redevelopment of the rectory on the CCBC site.

We initially applied for Action Ottawa capital funding in the Fall of 2018 and were ultimately unsuccessful, but received encouragement from the City to continue progressing the project further and apply again during the next Action Ottawa cycle.

In the meantime, we worked to get the site rezoned to accommodate the proposed uses, and delved into the details of how the building will be managed and run. With zoning approved, community support, and a strong business case, the CCBC project was awarded capital funding through the Action Ottawa program in the Fall of 2019.