Three groups came together in Greater Sudbury on Tuesday to celebrate a new purchase that will create more affordable housing in Garson. A duplex at the end of O’Neil Drive East is the latest property acquired by national charitable housing developer Raising the Roof. “Raising the Roof owns the homes -- we’re the ultimate caretakers of it, the landlords, do the capital improvements and make sure the homes stay in good condition to be able to be used for individuals and families for years to come,” said Leslie Bellingham, director of strategic initiatives and partnerships The duplex will be transformed into four affordable housing units. “We have expertise in real estate development and being able to navigate the complexity of affordable housing creation and the funding that’s needed and the donations and everything that goes into that,” Bellingham said. “But we’re not necessarily experts in every local community.” The renovation will be done by Community Builders, a social enterprise that provides a 12-week paid program for those facing employment barriers. They are able to train for jobs in skilled trades. “If we get hired to do a flooring job, the only skill they’re going to get to do is flooring,” said Community Builders executive director Carly Gasparini. “If we get hired to do a painting job, the only skill we get access to is painting ... But here they’re getting access to demolition, framing, drywalling, painting, flooring and all of the different skills that they’re going to get to practise within this space.” Tenants of the new units will come from the waitlist at Sudbury Supportive Housing, which already manages the 10 other local units owned by Raising the Roof. Sudbury Supportive Housing provides wraparound supports and resources for tenants. “You’ve heard the saying ‘It takes a village.’ We are essentially providing these folks with a proper, sustainable village where they can continue to live independently and thrive in community,” said program director Jehnna Morin. “We want to be able to fulfil the needs but also keep filling in the gaps. So, the gap is where the support comes in.” It’s expected to take the Community Builders crew about four months to finish the renovations on O’Neil Drive, with tenants moving in sometime in early 2027.
