October 21st, 2024
October 21st, 2024
QUEENS PARK – On the first day back at Queen’s Park, NDP MPP Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls) called for investment in the Fort Erie Lions Club, Douglas Heights Seniors Residence project.
Led by the Fort Erie Lions, the new nine-story, independent housing apartment will provide 62 units of much-needed affordable housing to seniors and will connect residents to the Fort Erie Lions Seniors Centre.
“This affordable housing project needs to raise $1.5 million to qualify for federal funding,” said Gates. “We know what is possible when every level of government comes together to support a project like this. The province must come to the table to help get this across the finish line.”
45 per cent of Fort Erie’s population is 55 years of age and older, which will grow to 50 per cent by 2041. In 2022, the Age-Friendly Niagara Survey identified increasing affordable housing options as one of the top five concerns for seniors throughout Fort Erie and the Niagara Region.
“There is nothing more important than ensuring seniors – the people who built our province – have the housing they need and deserve,” said Gates. “We shouldn’t have seniors waiting eight, nine, or ten years for affordable housing. I’m calling on the Premier and the Minister to do the right thing, work together, and invest in this crucial project – for Fort Erie, for Niagara, and for our seniors.”
QUOTES
Linda Scott, Chair Lions Douglas Heights Seniors Residence Inc.
“This is a very exciting time as the Fort Erie Lions Club are in the final stages to build a new affordable seniors apartment building. The need for affordable housing in our community is critical, and we’ve received tremendous support from the Town of Fort Erie and Niagara Region to reach this point. We also can’t say enough about the financial support we’ve received from the Branscomb Family Foundation which has enabled us to do all the advance work to bring us to the application stage for federal funding for construction. We are so close to having shovels in the ground, but we still need just a little bit of help, and so we are fundraising in our community for $1.5 million dollars which will allow us to submit our application for federal funding and move the project forward to construction. We are confident we will reach our goal.”