Nine veterans had already moved into Edmonton’s new Veterans’ House when the charity behind it held its opening on Monday, Nov. 9.
The 40-unit building at 13015 128 Avenue NW, in the Athlone neighbourhood of north Edmonton, offers permanent, affordable homes for veterans who have experienced homelessness. More residents are expected to move in over the coming months.
The opening came two days before Remembrance Day.
The building will be called Veterans’ House: The Canso Building, recognizing Canso Investment Counsel and the Carswell family, whose early funding helped launch the project.
Permanent homes, with no clock
That’s the biggest difference between this building and a shelter.
Residents have their own studio apartments, support staff in the building and other veterans around them. Nobody is told to leave after a set number of months.
“When veterans come to us, they’re not on a clock,” Veterans’ House Canada executive director Alan Mulawyshyn, a retired Canadian Armed Forces brigadier-general, said earlier this year.
He said the charity offers a community as well as a room, with staff to help residents work through whatever led to them becoming homeless.
What’s inside
The three-storey building pairs private apartments with shared spaces, inside and out:
A community kitchen and multipurpose room
A fitness room and library
Laundry
Offices for support services
A meditation garden and a vegetable garden
A covered barbecue patio
A fenced dog park
Eight of the 40 apartments are fully accessible.
The design was made with residents living with post-traumatic stress disorder in mind, from the colours on the walls to wood accents meant to make the space feel calm.
Ottawa’s has a waiting list
Edmonton’s building is the second for Veterans’ House Canada, a national charity. The first, the Andy Carswell Building in Ottawa, opened in 2021 on the former Canadian Forces Base Rockcliffe.
It filled within six to eight months, and it has stayed full. By March, it had housed more than 80 veterans and had a waiting list of about 40. Mulawyshyn said some veterans travelled from other parts of the country to get a place there, which helped make the case for building one in Edmonton.
Who paid for it
The project’s announced funding was $16.1 million:
| Funder | Amount |
|---|---|
| Veterans’ House Canada (cash equity) | $5.6 million |
| Federal Affordable Housing Fund | $4.5 million |
| Canada-Alberta housing agreement | $3.4 million |
| City of Edmonton | $2.6 million |
The City also sold the land to the charity for $1. Council approved the sale in December 2023.
Edmontonians pitched in too. In February, more than 160 people walked five kilometres through Athlone in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser, raising about $59,000 for the project. Nearly 100 of them were Canadian Armed Forces members who signed up on their own time.
Most of the land stayed a park
The building sits on City land along 128 Avenue that was rezoned for the project. Only about 0.6 hectares went to housing. About 2 hectares were kept as permanent park land, with a green buffer along the rail line connecting to the parks on 127 Avenue.
Built ahead of schedule
Mulawyshyn said the building came in on budget and ahead of schedule. EDCB was the development manager, CSV and Dialog Architects designed it, and OML Construction built it.
The opening included prayers from Elder Betty Letendre and a flypast by 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron.
How veterans can apply
The Edmonton building is for Canadian Armed Forces veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Veterans, family members and support workers can apply, or ask about eligibility, through the Veterans’ House Canada website. Applying doesn’t guarantee a spot right away.
Veterans Affairs Canada also helps veterans who are homeless or at risk. Call 1-866-522-2122, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Depending on eligibility, help can include case management, health services and emergency money.
For free, confidential mental health support any time, the VAC Assistance Service is open 24/7 at 1-800-268-7708.
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