About the project
The City is working closely with community partners, and expects the modular bridge housing at the Wolfe Street/Rehill Parking Lot properties to be up and running by the fall of 2023.
The Modular Bridge Housing project uses modular units to provide individual, supportive housing for people who are unsheltered with the goal of assisting them to move into more permanent housing.
The number of people currently experiencing homelessness in Peterborough City and County is unprecedented and, like many communities across Canada, we are living through a crisis.
In response to this crisis, City Council decided in May 2023 that the City-owned 210 Wolfe Street/Rehill Parking Lot properties will be the site of new modular bridge housing with secured storage, security, and washroom facilities.
There will be 50 individual units as part of the modular temporary housing project. Many of the units are already built off site by the provider and ready to be delivered to the site when construction begins. The site will accommodate 50 people currently experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
The Wolfe Street building that was used as an emergency shelter will be converted into a service hub, where agencies can meet with clients who are in the modular units. This hub will provide the opportunity to immediately connect individuals to the supports they need. The overflow shelter program is operating out of the Peterborough Public Library overnight until after a new winter overnight drop-in centre being operating by One City at the Trinity Centre on Reid Street opens as part of the City's winter response plan.
The goal of the enhanced homelessness services is that clients will be supported to move into supportive housing programs and/or resolve their experience of homelessness. In the meantime, with the new modular bridge housing, they will be provided a unit that is more secure, safer, healthier, and more able to meet individual needs.
The City has been engaging with people who are experiencing homelessness and who are living on the property to share information, offer assistance with the planned changes, and start coordinating the transition of selected individuals into the new modular bridge housing.
The City is temporarily increasing the number of shelter beds to ensure there is capacity in the system.
Modular housing is an important tool in the City’s overall strategy to end chronic homelessness and complements other actions by the City.
Features of the Modular Bridge Housing project
Here are some details about what the modular bridge housing will look like and who will oversee operations on-site:
- The site will be staffed 24/7, managed by City staff and community partners and will include support services and security. Services provided will include mental health and addictions supports, with a strong focus on connecting residents to permanent housing options.
- Fifty individual modular housing units will provide private, safer, and inclusive accommodation for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
- Each cabin measures approximately 107 square feet and will be furnished, and equipped with electricity, heating and cooling.
- Safety and security of the residents, staff and neighbours are of critical importance.
The modular bridge housing site is part of the City’s Interim Housing Solutions strategy approved by City Council.
The goal of this initiative is to provide residents with stable connections to support services and help progress people toward permanent housing.
