Just by looking at it, you'd never know that the new six-unit affordable housing project at Lucy's Place in Barrie is made of shipping containers.
"It's very exciting to see this brand new building coming up with this innovative form of modular housing," said John Connell with County of Simcoe Social Housing. "We're really looking forward to it serving people in need in the City of Barrie."
The stacked containers will add additional units on top of the existing 18, bringing the total number to 24.
Lucy's Place opened in 2019 as a motel conversion project to help those experiencing chronic homelessness.
"People, once they are housed stably, they do better, they get the treatments they need, the medications they need, and the supports they need to stay successfully housed, and it's been a fantastic project," said Tim Kent, CEO of Redwood Park Communities.
Last year the Elizabeth Fry Society and Busby Centre reported helping 1,100 people without housing - more than double the pre-pandemic level.
"There's a growing need for a whole range of housing solutions, and county council is looking for opportunities to continue to create and support affordable housing across our communities," said Connell.
Connell said the county currently has several projects in the works, including one in Midland and one in Barrie.
He added there are three larger developments on the go in Orillia and Bradford, with another slated for in Barrie in the next couple of years.
At Lucy's Place, the new 320-square-foot units will help individuals and couples.
Behind the unique twist on the conventional construction market is Northern Shield Development Corporation.
"We need to look at all the options on the table in front of us and think creatively on how we can make those technologies and things that exist into affordable housing," Steve Marshall, president of Northern Shield Development Corporation.
The shipping containers arrived on site in the middle of June, with up to 85 per cent of the work complete.
"The actual design of the container themselves make a building like this very effective and cost-effective because a lot of the work we would normally have to do on-site is done for us," said Marshall.
The units are expected to be finished within the next three weeks, with the goal of having residents moved in by October.
The current purchase of a historic Ottawa church slated to become an 'embassy' for a group affiliated with the Freedom Convoy has fallen through, according to documents obtained by CTV News. But The United People of Canada director said it was his understanding the deal was still in place.
Court documents allege an eastern Ontario doctor killed four people around the same date in 2021.
Two pilots are believed to have fallen asleep and missed their landing during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia on Monday, according to a report by commercial aviation news site Aviation Herald.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau nominated Ontario judge Michelle O'Bonsawin to the Supreme Court of Canada on Friday. She is the first Indigenous person chosen to sit on Canada's top court and the appointment is being celebrated as filling an important role at the highest level of the country's justice system.
Consumer behaviour, a looming recession and the reactions of retailers to pandemic-driven supply chain issues are combining to drive a liquidation renaissance, according to one business advisor and retail futurist who spoke with CTVNews.ca.
A Calgary man who bilked his clients out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for what the judge called a deliberate and large-scale fraud.
Canadians across the country have a shot at seeing the northern lights this weekend thanks to a series of solar flares and storms over the past few days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Scientists say they have developed a simple and cost-effective method for destroying a class of synthetic chemicals found in many consumer items and lasting in our water, soil and air for thousands of years when left alone.
Members of a Freedom Convoy-affiliated group remain at an Ottawa church one day after the owner of the historic property moved to evict them over unpaid rent.
Premier Tim Houston is asking Ottawa to exempt Nova Scotia from the national carbon tax, saying the federal government's signature bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions amounts to "punishing" the province.
A coroner’s inquest jury made almost 20 recommendations for ways New Brunswick and its law enforcement can do better in police interventions, training and equipment. CTV News polled each to see if they are considering, or have already implemented any of them.
A replacement ferry for the MV Holiday Island, which was damaged by fire last month, will begin sailing between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island on Saturday.
A two-year-old boy was found dead in a vehicle Friday afternoon in Vaudreuil-Dorion, a suburb of Greater Montreal.
A prominent Quebec cardinal is denying sexual assault allegations against him contained in a class-action lawsuit that was formally filed this week in Quebec Superior Court.
The Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (NRBHSS) confirmed that the Inuk woman struck on Highway 520 in Montreal has died of her injuries.
Members of a Freedom Convoy-affiliated group remain at an Ottawa church one day after the owner of the historic property moved to evict them over unpaid rent.
The president and CEO of CHEO in Ottawa is speaking out after he was targeted by homophobic slurs while walking his young son to daycare earlier this week.
Coun. Rick Chiarelli did not register to run for a new term in College Ward ahead of the 2 p.m. deadline on Friday for candidates to register to run for mayor, councillor and school board trustee.
An Ontario grandfather just won a big lottery prize for the second time in his life.
A man has been seriously injured after being shot during an attempted robbery at a pharmacy in Scarborough on Friday evening.
The registration deadline to run in the Toronto municipal election has passed, and one of those who made a last-minute candidacy filing is a prominent television personality.
The Region of Waterloo council approved a series of measures on Thursday to help ease the growing homelessness crisis, including a first-ever decision to permit an encampment.
The Ministry of Labour has confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into the death of a migrant worker at a Norfolk County farm last week.
Ontario's police watchdog says a Waterloo Regional Police officer who shot a man in Cambridge won't face criminal charges.
Several victims of a November 2021 crash on London, Ont.’s Riverside Drive have filed civil suit against the alleged driver and several others, the law firm representing the victims said on Friday. The crash took the life of eight-year-old Alexandra Stemp, and injured multiple others.
OPP are investigating after a person drowned in the Township of Chatsworth late Thursday afternoon. Police say that a video of the incident has also surfaced on social media, and that "appropriate steps" are being taken to remove it.
Popular Twitch user and local transgender activist Clara Sorrenti says she is currently in hiding and fearing for her safety. Sorrenti says she has received threats after going public with an incident involving London police earlier this month. She shared the experience on YouTube Thursday night.
The Friends of Laurier Woods, a non-profit charitable organization, is hosting the annual ‘Louise de Kiriline Lawrence Nature Festival’ to be held at the Laurier Woods Conservation Area Saturday.
Ecole St. Charles will be demolished to make way for a new community health centre. Centre de Sante Communautaire de Timmins is currently operating out of the Timmins Square shopping mall.
One of the infrastructure projects receiving over $100 million of the $628 million in CFI funding is SNOLAB, the internationally renowned ultra-clean facility focused on the study of neutrinos and the search for galactic dark matter.
A father-son duo from Hamilton have set off on a cross-country drive, centered around raising awareness for cancer research and cherishing the time they have left together. On Friday, Ray Osborn and his son drove down to Windsor to pick up a newly restored 1927 Ford Model A. The two are taking it for a drive from Windsor to Vancouver for what Osborn calls "his last big journey."
The Windsor Police Service Arson Unit is looking for information after a fire on a commercial property in Amherstburg.
The nomination period for the municipal election has closed, with dozens of candidates in Windsor putting their names in for a chance to serve on council.
Friends of a Calgary woman who died in a shooting on Thursday are remembering her as loving, kind and always ready to lend a helping hand.
A Calgary man who bilked his clients out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for what the judge called a deliberate and large-scale fraud.
Following a two-year pandemic pause, the TD Chinatown Street Festival is back.
The Saskatchewan Advocate for Children and Youth says she is deeply concerned about allegations involving the Legacy Christian Academy (LCA) scandal.
Saskatchewan’s top doctor is reminding residents not to get complacent, as the province is on the cusp of a fall COVID-19 surge.
Court documents allege a former Saskatoon doctor killed four people around the same date in 2021.
In an effort to streamline services, Edmonton Police Service will no longer have drivers report minor crashes at stations or call police to a scene. Instead, EPS is opening a collision reporting centre in both south and north Edmonton where motorists will file a report, including pictures, insurance information, and personal contacts.
Edmontonians lined the street outside of Rogers Place on Friday to remember six-year-old Ben Stelter. Ben died on Aug. 9 from brain cancer. His family invited the public to Rogers Place on Friday as the funeral procession passed by.
Canada will play for gold at the world junior hockey championship after downing Czechia 5-2 in a semifinal on Friday.
A natural gas leak prompted the closure of 200th Street in both directions from 72nd Avenue to 80th Avenue in Langley on Friday afternoon.
Users of escort services in the Lower Mainland are being drugged and robbed during their encounters, according to Surrey RCMP.
Police in New Westminster are searching for the rightful owner of a wallet after a bizarre police chase involving a trio of raccoons.
© 2022 All rights reserved. Use of this Website assumes acceptance of Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy