Affordable housing is a top community priority
The scarcity of affordable housing is considered to be at a crisis level across Niagara, and for those 55 and older, choices are severely limited.
Those living on fixed incomes are especially hard hit by the rising cost of living. What’s more, few housing options offer the features needed to continue living independently with dignity as they age. The same housing situation is happening here, in West Lincoln, with a critical need to increase the number of safe and affordable housing units for seniors.
Legion Villa’s existing two buildings in Smithville provide affordable, stable and well-maintained rental units for these under-served seniors. Unfortunately, the supply falls woefully short of demand here in West Lincoln, with the wait time for people hoping to make their home at Legion Villa currently at over 8 years!
10 cents= $1 towards affordable housing
Would you invest 10 cents if you knew this could create $1 towards Legion Villa building more affordable housing for seniors in our community?
It may sound too good to be true, but this is a real possibility for West Lincoln if Legion Villa has your support to expand with a new building.
Legion Villa – four decades of proven success in providing dignified, affordable housing
‘A place to call home’ is by no means an empty slogan at Legion Villa – it is a statement that anchors their vision to housing our modest and fixed-income fellow senior citizens.
Legion Villa is a Non-profit Housing Corporation and Registered Charity governed by an elected Board of Directors, composed of community-minded West Lincoln residents. Legion Villa was established in 1983 by local Legion Branch 393 in West Lincoln to operate as an independent, non-profit, affordable housing corporation.
Although the Legion no longer maintains ownership or formal affiliation, Legion Villa holds fast to the spirit of its founding – those who lived by the principles of Duty to Community and Country.
For over 40 years, Legion Villa has successfully owned and operated two affordable, independent living seniors’ buildings. Villa 1 is a 30-unit low-rise apartment built in 1984, while Villa 2 is a 32-unit low-rise apartment built in 1992.
Legion Villa’s overarching goal remains ‘to provide and operate safe, affordable, independent housing for seniors in accordance with the Housing Services Act, our service agreement with Niagara Regional Housing and the Human Rights Code’.
‘A place to call home’ is by no means an empty slogan at Legion Villa – it is a statement that anchors their vision to housing our modest and fixed-income fellow senior citizens.
Who and how they help
For tenants, Legion Villa offers many features that enable aging with grace.
Security, comfort and accessibility are paramount, but the environment is the opposite of institutional. Apartment units are equipped with kitchens, comfortable personal living space, and individual balconies. Shared building amenities include indoor and outdoor gathering areas, quiet nooks and laundry facilities – all inviting, home-like and immaculately maintained. The lifestyle bonuses carry outside the walls of the apartment buildings as well.
Bordered by Twenty Mile Creek, the surrounding grounds offer lovely green space for recreation, gardening or simply enjoying the outdoors. Tenants also have the advantage of being located in a vibrant pocket of the community with shops, medical offices, churches and a recreation centre nearby. All of these details make Legion Villa living conducive to independent and vibrant living, while supporting the businesses and service-providers of West Lincoln.
Legion Villa Development Project will provide ‘more of a good thing’
The New Building Project
To provide enhanced housing options for more modest and fixed-income seniors from West Lincoln and its neighbouring communities, Legion Villa is moving forward with important plans to add a third building on its current Mill Street, Smithville property.
The proposed 6-storey, 52-unit apartment building situated between the existing two buildings will offer safe, modern, welcoming and affordable living with leading-edge accessibility features incorporated into its design.
Plans include a common room similar to the existing buildings, with all common areas adhering to the barrier-free design. An emphasis on energy efficiency will assist in maintaining low utilities costs.
The proposed 52-unit facility has the potential to provide high quality housing for hundreds of senior residents over the next several decades.
This project will also improve and streamline the overall operations and administration of Legion Villa, contributing to increased affordability for senior tenants in the two existing buildings.
Timeline and Costs
The total cost of this project is $25,000,000. Aiming to begin construction in 2026 for occupancy in 2027, the Legion Villa Housing Development Project has secured seed funding and completed all stages of project planning.
Upon confirmation of federal funding and financing, final design and construction can begin.
For Legion Villa to secure project funding and financing through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Co-Investment Program, a community-wide capital campaign will be undertaken to secure Letters of Intent from prospective donors to indicate their future support.
A Letter of Intent shows the serious intentions of a donor to commit to the project.
10 Cents Helps Secure The Project
Legion Villa only needs to secure Letters of Intent for 10% of the final cost, a total of $2,500,000, for the project to proceed.
This approach provides peace-of-mind for donors because if the project does not proceed, they are not financially committed to it.
Think of this as investing 10 cents to create a dollar, and building a safe, secure future for those aging in our communities.
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Forward-thinking solutions for a better community
Too many seniors, especially in the modest and fixed-income brackets, find themselves dealing with financial stresses, loneliness and diminishing fulfillment in their retirement years. We have the power to change that within West Lincoln.
The benefits of the Legion Villa approach to senior living goes far beyond affordable shelter.
As we all know, ‘living well’ involves so much more than a roof over our heads. Building on the existing model, the proposed new Legion Villa apartments will provide tenants with safe, well-maintained, age-friendly housing where they can remain active and socially connected.
Together, we can enhance the quality-of-life for our modest and fixed-income seniors, ensuring that they can look forward to many good years ahead of them.
The families of Legion Villa tenants greatly appreciate being able to keep their loved ones close within our community. They enjoy the peace-of-mind that comes with knowing that their relatives are in a living situation that promotes an excellent safe quality of life, nearby
