Affordable housing complex moving into Rockhill fire site

From the ashes of the devastating 2018 Rockhill Apartment blaze in central Yellowknife will rise a 64-unit complex featuring 30 transitional housing units and 34 social housing replacement units.

Ottawa and the territorial government on Friday announced the development will include barrier-free units and a 24-space early learning and child-care centre next door.

At an announcement in Yellowknife, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty referenced an announcement last fall of $5.5 million in funding between the federal government and the GNWT to help repair 150 rental units.

“When we were here back in the fall, we talked about the urgent need for more housing in the NWT, particularly affordable housing,” said Alty, the NWT’s sole MP. “We talked about how in recent years, we haven’t built enough, and we haven’t built fast enough.

“The Rockhill transitional housing project will offer private, transitional and social housing units for those who are vulnerable to homelessness, giving more of our neighbours across Yellowknife the safety and stability of home.”

The development will offer replacement social housing units lost in the fire, a mixture of bachelor suites, one-to four-bedroom housing units, common areas and administration space.

Alty said the 64 federally funded units will fill a gap in the city once the temporary, “unhoused homeless encampment initiative” ends, this represents a “chance at a fresh start for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.”

Of those 64 units, 14 will be barrier free to accommodate those with accessibility needs, and 10 will be low-cost rental units.

Funding provided for the development at 4900 54th Avenue is $24 million from the federal government, with additional investment from the GNWT to increase the development to 64 units total, along with an early learning and childcare centre.

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NWT Housing Minister Lucy Kuptana said: “This project will add new suitable and accessible homes and provide stability through transitional housing services in a central location with expanded child care services.”

Construction is expected to be completed in 2028.

By 8am on October 2nd, 2018, the YWCA’s 33-unit Rockhill transitional housing block was completely consumed by fire, which had started on the ground floor. There were no physical injuries, but most residents lost everything.