The fight against housing insecurity in the City of Belleville is set to get a boost at the end of the month.
Representatives of the Grace Inn Shelter are preparing to open up a six-bed transitional housing unit on South Front Street by the end of January.
Grace Inn Board Chair Jodie Jenkins Tells Quinte News that the house, owned by the Grace Inn Shelter, will help people who are already on the up and up get into stable housing for one year.
“To be in the facility you have to be someone that’s either gainfully employed, actively seeking employment, getting back on your feet in various other roles in the sense of you’re probably in a position where you’re more stable, not to say that – there’s going to be individuals in there that are in the midst of unemployment or just coming out of some mental health issues or whatever, but the key is that these individuals are going to be in a position where they’re going to make that step from this transition home to permanent housing.”
The process began in the spring of 2021 when the opportunity to create a transition home sprung up. Jenkins said they approached Hastings County and the Parrot Foundation for support on the project.
He said at this point it’s only a matter of time. The next steps on the checklist include staffing the home, furnishing it and identifying people who would be good candidates to move in first.
He also clarified that tenants do have to pay rent as well as keep up with chores and other responsibilities around the house as part of the process.
As for the future Jenkins said he hopes this is only the beginning for the Grace Inn’s further ventures.
“In a perfect world our next step is we’ll start building permanent housing so we can move these people through and get them into a more permanent approach, so that’s kind of the big vision. We’ll get there at some point, we’re not there yet, but we’re excited that in one year we’ve created six affordable units for individuals in this community.”
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