New Rental Housing for Youth Officially Opens in Saskatoon

SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwired - Feb. 24, 2016) - The Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan, along with the City of Saskatoon and Stewart Property Holdings Ltd., today celebrated the official opening of the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op, consisting of seven new affordable rental housing units for youth in housing need.

The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with Paul Merriman, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Sutherland, on behalf of the Honourable Donna Harpauer, Minister of Social Services and Minister Responsible for the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, and His Worship Donald Atchison, Mayor of the City of Saskatoon, made the announcement today.

Quick facts:

• Located at 623 Avenue L South, the Youth Co-housing project consists of six units for 'youth-at-risk' individuals and one unit which will house a live-in mentor. Tenants will benefit from additional services offered through the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op (CNYC), including counselling, life skills, skills training and other programs to develop client independence.
• The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are providing up to $456,000 from the federal/ provincial Investment in Affordable Housing (2014-2019) Agreement towards this project.
• The City of Saskatoon is providing $68,000 under the Innovative Housing Incentive Program.
• The project was developed by Stewart Property Holdings Ltd. (SPH).
• Each of the six bedrooms is approximately 120 square feet (11 square metres), each with attached bathroom facilities. Total size of the project is 3,572 square feet or approximately 332 square metres.
• The basement and second floor common spaces are additional to the main floor kitchen and living space that will provide a common area for tenants to engage with each other or to participate in a group setting. The common space is approximately 384.5 square feet or 35.7 square metres.

Quotes:

"I want to congratulate everyone involved in the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op, along with the funding partners - CMHC and the Province of Saskatchewan - who have helped to bring more affordable rental housing to Saskatoon. In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to working with Canadians, housing stakeholders and our partners in provinces, territories and municipalities as we restore a constructive role for the federal government in supporting affordable housing." - Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

"We are proud to work with the Government of Canada, the City of Saskatoon and Stewart Property Holdings Ltd. to provide a safe, quality home for youth-at-risk as they work towards building their independence. This project reflects our continued commitment to support housing opportunities that meet the needs of Saskatchewan communities." - Paul Merriman, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Saskatoon Sutherland, on behalf of the Honourable Donna Harpauer, Minister of Social Services and Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Housing Corporation

"This Youth Co-housing project is an important step forward for young men as they become healthy, independent and productive members of our community. As a City we are proud to partner with the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan to ensure at-risk youth have a safe warm place to call home in this time of transition." - His Worship Donald Atchison, Mayor, City of Saskatoon

"We are proud to be working alongside CNYC on this project. Having the ability to provide housing to these young men as they transition into adulthood and finish schooling, and learn a trade or skill is very exciting. Having the ability to provide them with a roof over their heads and a warm bed to sleep in so they feel safe at night and well rested to continue in the day programs through CNYC is very important. Our motto, changing our city and community one building at a time, rings true and we are happy to be part of this positive change." - Tyler Stewart, President, Stewart Property Holdings Ltd.

Associated links:

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has been Canada's authority on housing for over 70 years. To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC help Canadians meet their housing needs, visit www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642.

• In October 2012, the Government of Saskatchewan released the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth: Vision 2020 and Beyond, which sets out the Government's vision for a province of 1.2 million people by 2020. The Plan identifies principles, goals and actions to ensure Saskatchewan is capturing the opportunities and meeting the challenges of a growing province. Since 2007, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested almost $700 million to develop and repair more than 14,600 homes around the province.

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