Prairie Manor Good Neighbour Plan
The Mustard Seed Prairie Manor Housing Project
NAME OF ORGANIZATION:
The Mustard Seed is a Christian non-profit organization that has been caring for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty since 1984. Our vision is to eliminate homelessness and reduce poverty where we serve. Our mission is to build hope and wellbeing for our most vulnerable citizens through Jesus’ love.
Operating in five cities across Alberta and British Columbia, The Mustard Seed is a supportive haven where people can have their physical, mental, and spiritual needs met and grow toward greater health and independence.
We have been an agent of change for more than three decades, thanks to our donors, volunteers, and support from the community.
PROJECT INFORMATION:
The Mustard Seed is converting an existing hotel into a residential building in the Queen Alexandra Park community. The project will involve retrofitting 85 hotel units to create self-contained bachelor units that The Mustard Seed will rent as affordable supportive housing units. The building will undergo several renovations to supportive residential uses, and is anticipated to be completed by Summer 2022.
Upon completion of the required renovations, Prairie Manor will focus on housing marginalized and over-represented populations experiencing poverty. The Mustard Seed is committed to maintaining a 60% Indigenous tenant population and reserving 30% of units for women.
Prairie Manor is a direct response to a unique call to action across municipal and federal levels of government. As a recipient of CMHC’s Rapid Housing Initiative Program and the City of Edmonton’s Affordable Housing Investment Plan, Prairie Manor will contribute 85 supportive housing units as part of the Rapid Housing Initiative’s total target of 9,200 new affordable housing units across Canada.
It is imperative that The Mustard Seed expands our ability to serve those vulnerable neighbours at the same pace that the need is growing, and this new initiative will allow our organization to better support the community.
COMMITMENT:
The Mustard Seed is committed to engaging the neighborhood surrounding the community hub and responding to feedback and the resolution process as part of our pre-construction activities, during construction, and on an ongoing basis during operations of Prairie Manor. We will always do our best to facilitate open communication with our neighbours, and prioritize quick turn-around times for any community member inquiries on our initiative.
As part of our community engagement plan with our neighbours, communications will be facilitated in several different ways depending on the status of the project, including:
- Mailed or delivered newsletters and pamphlets
- Virtual survey on draft Good Neighbour Plan
- Virtual and/or in-person open house events (subject to COVID-19 safety considerations)
- Email notifications and correspondence
- One-on-one phone and/or in-person meetings
- Access to project information on our website (https://theseed.ca/prairie-manor)
Upon completion of construction, Prairie Manor will proactively engage and be a member of the Queen Alexandra Park Community League. The Mustard Seed will encourage our residents and staff to support local businesses and stakeholders, with the primary goal to have our residents invested and integrated into the neighbourhood.
Once Prairie Manor is operational, we will also invite community members into the space to connect with the community or see what it is all about! The Mustard Seed will also provide a direct contact for the supervisor of the housing program that can be utilized regarding a donation, volunteering, or a concern.
ELIGIBILITY:
The purpose of Prairie Manor is to provide affordable housing units to 85 individuals who have a history of difficulty maintaining market rent housing. In order to be eligible for housing, these individuals must meet the additional criteria below:
- 18+ years old
- History of homelessness or difficulty maintaining market-rate housing
- Meet the criteria for supportive housing as identified by a designated assessment tool
- Income cannot exceed the Core Need Income Threshold (CNIT) as defined by the City of Edmonton
KEY ISSUES:
At time of drafting this Good Neighbour Plan, no key issues have been raised by the community. Upon compiling feedback from the Good Neighbour Plan survey, this draft Good Neighbour Plan will be updated to reflect community feedback and how The Mustard Seed intends to address these key issues.
RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING WITH COMMUNITY:
We are all neighbours in this area, and as neighbours, we all have a responsibility to care for our neighbourhood, engage in healthy change, and get to know each other as friends and community members.
We try to build these relationships by adding value to the neighbourhood such as facilitating community clean-ups, hosting community BBQ’s, and hosting block parties inclusive of everyone. These are a few ways in which we hope to build relationships in the neighbourhood. We are always open to new ways and ideas to connect, and would love to hear from you!
ISSUE RESOLUTION:
In case of emergencies, always call 911. If the concern is a non-emergency situation, call 211.
During the pre-construction and community consultation phase, please connect with the following team members:
For questions/comments on programming and engagement opportunities:
Megan Schuring, Director of Community Development [email protected]
For questions/comments on permitting, approval, and construction processes:
Taylor Kawaguchi, Project Manager [email protected]
Upon building completion, this Good Neighbour Plan will be updated to reflect the primary contact information for building operations and distributed accordingly.
Resolution Timelines:
If there is an issue or complaint that a community member would like to bring forward, The Mustard Seed has committed to the following resolution process:
1. Complaint Received:
- Within two business days of receiving a complaint or concern from the community, The Mustard Seed’s program team will collaborate internally to develop a response plan
2. Response:
- Within four business days, The Mustard Seed will connect with the complainant to establish a meeting to discuss the concern further, or a plan to address the concern
3. Follow-Up:
- Within ten business days, The Mustard Seed will implement the plan with established responsibilities and timelines for resolution
4. Review:
- Within ten weeks of the implemented action items, The Mustard Seed will follow-up with the complainant to review success and identify any additional barriers or concerns
- Step 3 and 4 will be completed and/or repeated until the complaint has been considered resolved by all parties