Editing revision 3 of 2011-02-06 Public Meeting

By Daniel MacKay On Sunday, February 6, two dozen members of the LGBT Seniors society in Halifax, the Elderberries, and a few others, gathered to learn, and ask questions about SPIRIT Place, the LGBT-friendly seniors housing project proposed by St John's United Church. Lousia Horne was invited to do a presentation on the design & development process. For more background on the project, see Valerie Windsor's piece in the December 2010 Wayves, available from the "Wayves Online" section of wayves.ca. The existing church building is a "sick building" - it has asbestos, mold, it was taking more and more of the congregation's resources, and was less and less addressing suitability; it's not a green building, which was a desired element. The construction method in the 1920s was improper: the bricks were "seconds" -- they were not made or installed to prevent moisture penetration and freezing; the heating system was aging and difficult to maintain; there were trees growing from the bricks! Water was continuously coming through the bricks. Spending over a million dollars on an old building that does not support current and future programs was not good stewardship -- there would still be a building that was too large, not energy efficient, and not configured to suit our needs, and was expensive to maintain. The congregation was consulted, as was the neighbourhood; over 400 surveys were distributed. There was a unanimous decision with the church approval to proceed with the development of an Enriched Independent Living comlex for seniorus in conjunction with a new churhc facility, not involving a developer. The Church House was purchased, surveys of various kinds were done and RFPs were issued for an architect, legal advisor and service provider. The church has been vacant for two years; the services are conducted elsewhere for now. Five themes: welcoming / friendly, diversity in the style of worship, social justice for which the congregation is known for, music, teaching and learning. --- Norval: Questions: only five minutes per question, please. It's been six years in the making, which is not unusual in things in a church environment. There were people looking for new kinds of activii. Existing building is a "sick building" - asbestos, mold,e tc. was taking more and more of the congregation's resources, and was less and less addressing suitability; it's not a green building, which was a desired element. In 2005, the church board established a "Futuring Team" . Training of team members, hundred interviews; lots of research; looked at what other communities were doing. Five themes: welcoming / friendly, diversity in the style of worship, social justice for which the congregation is known for, music, teaching and learning. We were one of the first churches on the peninsula to be "affirming." Only congregation which promotes Taize - music, chanting, meditation. Mindful of a diverse congregation. Social justice: breakfast programs, suppers, Phoenix House, Music: Bells - Al Steward was the bell-ringer for many years. Teaching and learing: there were opportunities for all ages, which is becoming more important over the years, especially for all generations to intereact. For example, the popular movie series last month; where seniors and adults and youth could talk about Avatar. Sunday School doesn't look like it did when you were there! Also, learning about leadership. "Whatever the church did, all of these themes had to be recognized and accessible." said Horne. The majority of the congregation wants to remain together, so for example amalgamation with another congregation was not of interest. Two committeses were established, one to explore the vision and mission, and one to explore the required facilities. Building: the construction method in the 1920s was improper: the bricks were "seconds" -- they were not made or installed to prevent moisture penetration and freezing; the heating system was aging and difficult to maintain; there were trees growing from the bricks! Water was continuously coming through the bricks. Spending over a million dollars on an old building that does not support current and future programs was not good stewardship -- there would still be a building that was too large, not energy efficient, and not configured to suit our needs, and was expensive to maintain. The congregation was consulted, as was the neighbourhood; over 400 surveys were distributed. There was a unanimous decision with the church approval to proceed with the development of an Enriched Independent Living comlex for seniorus in conjunction with a new churhc facility, not involving a developer. The Church House was purchased, surveys of various kinds were done and RFPs were issued for an architect, legal advisor and service provider. The church has been vacant for two years; the services are conducted elsewhere for now. St John's is already an "Affirming" congregation; the process within the United Church results in inclusion of people of all sexual orientation and gender identiies; St John's United was the first on the peninsula to do this. the process requires study and an intentional commitment to those communities . It is the first Affirming Seniors Complex in Canada. ??? What exactly does Enriched Independent Living mean? People who need "a little bit of help". ===Questions=== How did you end up at the number 65? What are the economics of the size? As part of the congregation and peopel who live in the neighbourhood, we wanted to build something that was seen to be an asset, to bring more life and vibrancy; to have a reasonable streetscape and a size which allows the building to work financially; the church would pay rent to the non-profit which owned the building. The one word that hasn't been mentioned: money. St George's Round Church was party destroyed by fire; to rebuild the church cost 6.5 million. A: It's a different model; there will be a mortgage, there will be income. The estimate for the cost is somewhere in the $13-$14 million range. It's a complicated financial model; the not-for-profit would have a mortgage, which a not-for-profit organization with seniors apartments, can do. In Britain last week, the Prime Minister called for an end to multiculturalism. This building will contain people of considerably varying characteristics, looks, and behaviour. Will there be character references for tenants? A: it should reflect the community it's in. Probably you will not be able to have a character reference for tenants. it's an assisted type of living; will there be a medical faciltiy or nurse's station in the building? A: It's not "assisted living" which is different from "enriched independent living" - there will be no clinic in the building. However, St Vincent's Nursing home, just down the street, has excess capacity for cleaning, delivering meals, a ddental clinic, transportation, medical etc. if someone needs e.g. diabetes monitoring once a week, or a meal once a day, or foot care once a month, and they can maintain independence with that, then this facility is for them. What would it cost to live there? A: there's no analysis of that yet; it won't be done until the city approves the project, we do modification to the design if necessary, then work on the cost model. Where are you in the HRM process? A: There's a very defined process with HRM in a planning amendment for rezoning; There is a lot of press that a) this is a nursing home and b) it is for LGBT Elders only. How do you set the cost of the apartments? Mixed costs? Sliding scale? Will there be a quota for LGBT folk? A: we don't know the answer to that - we won't know until the project is approved. Can't imagine that there would be any kind of quota on anything. Observation: this is not a developer who's trying to make money. The church has been consistent about what they want, but for example CMHC changes what they are looking for and are willing to provide. Have you explored a cooperative model? A: We've had a number of ideas for the community that would want to live there. It could be a mix of condos and apartments and subsidized, and co-ops. there's a need for a building that's friendly to LGBT . I've been renting in Halifax for thirty years, and God knows I'mv isibly . Who needs a place that's LGBT positive? Back in the fifties, we had a concept that this was *going* to be a problem. If you ask if anyone has actually had a problem, you won't hear A: I look to you to give me that feedback. Alan, and the others who were involved gave the information on that. Observation: there might be extra value in the actual community. My income is under $15,000. I'd never be a resident there. Looking at the artist's rendering, I see a cross. Is a church part of the development? A: yes. there is a church; the bell tower is visible. The entire building will be new. What material can be salvaged from the old building, will be. The organ is not a quality organ; it has been moved three times and cut up to be moved each time, and is near the end of its days. There are a LOT of church organs on Kijiji; the organ can't be moved again. Will there be a community hall? A: yes, there is a lot of shared, multipurpose space. With the exception of a couple of offices, all of the space is multipurpose, on the main level. The sanctuary will have a movable wall which can open up, for example. There is a need for an LGBT communtiy space. A: that's a logical opportunity, yes. Observation: is there any need for an LGBT space? A: last spring , at a public meeting at the Company House, we had five different discussion groups; there was nothing that people wanted to talk about other than long-term housing, and their perception of a need for LGBT-safe spaces. Would the church run the housing? A: No. the church would rent space from the nonprofit. There would be no requirements to be a member of the church .

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