DESCRIPTION
275 Duckworth is a heritage building in downtown St. John's. It is currently commercial space that has received municipal discretionary use approval for 5 floors of residential units and one floor of commercial space. Raising the Roof has an executed agreement of purchase and sale and intends to develop the property into 34 units of housing for youth and seniors who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness in a unique multi-generational model. Raising the Roof's support services delivery partners will be Choices for Youth (CFY) and Connections for Seniors. CFY's main service hub is 3 doors down from the building. CFY have been supporting youth in St Johns for over 30 years and have over 200 youth on current housing waitlists. Connections for Seniors have been supporting vulnerable seniors since 2018 and operate a wide range of critical care services. CFY also operates Impact Construction, a social enterprise that trains and employs vulnerable youth. As much of the work as possible will be subcontracted to Impact Construction.
DETAILS
Property Id
Phase
Pre-Development
Affordability Framework
Adhering to maximum rent standards set by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador as updated on an annual basis. Eligible tenants have a maximum household income of $38,000. Rent set at provincial affordable rates, updated annually. Current 2025 provincial maximum rent for a bachelor unit is $585.
Target Completion Date
03-31-2028
Total Project Cost
$11,517,007
Total Units
34
Affordable Units
34
Populations Served
Homelessness
Project Funding
Funding Required
$6,348,229. RTR has already invested enough in the redesign of this space to achieve the necessary zoning bylaw amendment to proceed with multiresidential. RTR is seeking funding to support the final stages of pre-development, property purchase and construction.
Funds Raised
$22,500 predevelopment funding from CHTC Newfoundland and Labrador Community Housing Growth Fund - Planning and Pre-Development
Use of funds
The funds will be used for the acquisition and renovation of a vacant heritage commercial building in downtown St. John's, Newfoundland. We are currently in the early due diligence phase for the development of 275 Duckworth Street in St. Johns. Our initial concept plans include the development of 34 units of affordable housing with onsite laundry and resident storage and a 2388 square foot commercial space.
We intend to partner with Choices for Youth (CFY) and Connections for Seniors for support services for the tenants, in a unique multigenerational model. CFY operates an emergency shelter, a 14-unit supportive, congregate housing, and a program operating 26 CFY-operated housing placements across St. John's. These programs operate at full capacity with an occupancy rate of 88%, with the remaining 12% accounting for the average rate of turnover for the units between youth. Despite this, there are over 200 youth on the waitlist for all housing programs at CFY and the number of referrals has increased by 32.1%. We are seeking to decrease their waitlist, helping youth move into housing units and stay housed.
This project utilizes recently adopted St. John's policy associated with the development of "micro-units". These units are fully encapsulated residential spaces less than 450 sqft in size that can be developed within the current zone and without the need to provide parking spaces. This built form and unit mix is informed by research completed by Choices for Youth among youth, staff, client feedback, and community data which indicated that single occupancy is the biggest housing need in St. John's. According to the 2023 St. John's Housing Needs Assessment, there is a shortage of 291 units for studio and one-bedroom apartments. Combined with data from CMHC's 2023 Rental Market Survey, which reports a vacancy rate of 1.7% for all rental properties, and a vacancy rate of 1.6% for one-bedroom units, there is a clear lack of housing types that are manageable and appropriate for young people. This initiative can help meet this demand in our community while also maintaining affordability and social supports.
Connections for Seniors currently operates a 12 room supportive housing project. The resource seniorsnl.ca has indicated that they have seen an increase in the amount of seniors who report experiencing homelessness and warns seniors that "finding a place to live at this time is very difficult, especially if you are on a fixed income or low income."
MAP
