Harvey Woods Grand Opening

Wednesday, 24 June 2015 15:55

The ribbon has been cut on the brand new Harvey Woods Lofts which will provide affordable housing for 54 people in Woodstock.

WOODSTOCK - The ribbon has been cut on the brand new Harvey Woods Lofts which will provide affordable housing for 54 people in Woodstock.

At the opening ceremony we got the hear the story of one of those residents Nadine Duncan. Duncan grew up in Guelph in an abusive home and suffers from mental illness.
She has had to deal with all of kinds of problems in her life with sexual abuse at a young age and drug addiction. Duncan says she came to the Friendly City in November and was living in what she described as a box. " When I first got here is a bit of a challenge, I had to rent a room and the gentleman I rented the room off cut the heat off and it was November and I had to go to the church to stay warm with the Out of the Cold Program." Duncan told the audience when she heard she was accepted to the affordable housing project done by Indwell it changed her life. She is thrilled to live a beautiful new apartment complex, which is full of light and doesn't have to worry about the heat being turned off in the winter.

Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs for the Ontario Liberals Ted McMeekin tells Heart FM what it was like to hear Duncan's story. "I was moved to tears, I have to tell you, she was so courageous to do the sharing that she did and it put it in a wonderful perspective for me and I think everyone who was indeed privileged to hear her words, to hear a little bit of her life story and the challenges she faced." The Indwell project couldn't of happened without the support of the Federal and Provincial Government. Local MP Dave Mackenzie was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony and says this is just the start of the Federal Governments commitment to affordable housing in Oxford. " 4 more affordable housing projects are in the works for Oxford County, 1 in Tavistock and 3 in Woodstock, so we keep putting money into these projects, they are all worthwhile and well thought out."

The newly renovated old factory has been converted into 54 affordable apartment sweets by Indwell. The old factory had sat vacant in Woodstock for the past 20 years before Indwell decided to turn it into an affordable housing complex. They have spent the past few years renovating the building and turning it into a space where people will be proud to live. Warden Mayberry tells Heart FM this will provide some much needed affordable housing for Oxford County. "It actually means that 54 more people will have a place that they can afford that will give them excellent quality housing at a price they can afford, and by that we mean they will spend approximately 30% of their income on housing, so it isn't the end of our affordable housing needs but it's certainly one more step on the way and we are thrilled to see it completed."

Residents will be able to move in late August or early September.