Housing journey inspires business consultant to give back
March 22, 2023
AT A GLANCE
- Melaine’s search for suitable, affordable housing involved stays in a women’s transition home, a hotel and numerous applications to housing developments.
- She was overjoyed to learn she had been offered a place at one of Whitehorse’s newest housing developments – Cornerstone Community.
- Cornerstone is a first of its kind development in Whitehorse. Residents include people with low incomes, people with developmental challenges or mental illness in need of additional supports and working professionals.
- The project was 20 years in the making, involved numerous partners and is helping to fill a housing gap for Whitehorse.
(Nature sounds. Soft breeze, birds chirping, a cow moos in the distance.)
(Visual: A wide landscape of trees and streams with mountains in the distance. Cows graze and drink from a stream. The camera cuts to a quiet highway that leads towards a city in the distance.)
(Music fades in)
(Visual: A sign on the side of the highway reads “Welcome to Whitehorse: Capital of the Yukon”. The camera cuts to a wide panning shot of the city. As the camera pans, homes and businesses among Autumn leaves can be seen lining the streets. Cars and pedestrians move through the downtown streets. A series of 3-story apartment buildings are shown.)
00:13
Whitehorse is undergoing a bit of a population boom. It’s
recognized as one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and
we’re really feeling it in the housing sector. There’s a
shortage of supply, and that’s not a new thing in Whitehorse.
It’s very hard to develop land here, and expensive. It’s
time consuming as well, and there’s been a very long struggle
trying to get ahead of the demand.
(Visual: Mike Gau, the man speaking, appears on camera. He is facing the camera and is being interviewed at the Whitehorse City Hall.)
(Text on screen: Mike Gau, Director, Development Services – City of Whitehorse)
00:39
Our goal is to provide services for where there are gaps. So, when it
comes to affordability in the community, we know that we need to do
better for individuals who are vulnerable.
(Visual: A white sign reads “Yukon Housing Corporation”. The camera cuts to the public entrance of the Yukon Housing Corporation office. Mary Cameron, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in an office boardroom.)
(Text on screen: Mary Cameron, President (2020 – 2023) – Yukon Housing Corporation)
(Visual: The camera pans across the Whitehorse cityscape. A residential street is shown. The camera cuts to a man sitting on a park bench with a large backpack by his side.)
00:59
Cornerstone is a 45-unit residential building that provides housing for
people with low incomes, but also individuals that are struggling with
their independence and to maintain housing.
(Visual: A wide panning shot of a new residential building called
Cornerstone. Jillian Hardie, the woman speaking, appears on camera.
She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in an office
boardroom.)
(Text on screen: Jillian Hardie, Executive Director & CEO (2015-2020) – Opportunities Yukon.)
01:12
So, they may have addictions. They may have developmental disabilities.
They may have mental illness. And we provide them with the support to
live independently and successfully. So, it’s about building a
community of individuals and not a class system. That was really
important, and we’re seeing the successes of that already.
(Visual:As she continues to speak, the camera pans across a wide shot of the
Opportunities Yukon office. On the wall a framed artistic rendering of
the Cornerstone building is shown. The camera cuts and returns to
Jillian Hardie speaking.)
01:33
My name is Melaine, and I’m a resident here at Cornerstone
Community Building. It has overwhelmed me with happiness. I’m
going to cry… Because….
(Visual: Exterior of the Cornerstone building. Melaine, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in the kitchen of her home at Cornerstone. As she speaks, she laughs nervously and tries to contain her emotion. She pauses without finishing her thought.)
(Text on screen: Melaine, Resident – Cornerstone Community Building)
01:48
Around 2017, my ex-partner got a kidney transplant, and I was his sole
caregiver. This changed a lot. He changed a lot. He wasn’t really
the person that I thought I knew, and it started putting an awful lot of
stress on me and ended up with a heart attack.
(Visual: Photos taken of Melaine are displayed from 2016, 2018 and 2020. The photos illustrate her deteriorating health. Melaine is shown again, speaking on camera in her kitchen.)
02:06
So, I ended up in the hospital here. And then, because of that, the
hospital social worker and my doctor said: “you can’t go
home, because there’s a good chance you won’t leave”.
(Visual: A sign on a hospital wall reads: “Emergency Room”. A 2021 photo of Melaine in the hospital is shown. She has heart monitors attached to her chest. She appears thin, sad, and scared.)
02:19
I went into a women’s transition home. Well, it was a shelter to
begin with. From there they put me in a hotel after a while. I had put
housing requests out everywhere.
(Visual: Melaine, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is
facing the camera and is being interviewed in the kitchen of her
home.)
02:32
And then the next day I got a call saying I was accepted for here. The
very next day. It’s got everything that I need. I have a nice open
concept here. I could have 10 people here and we could all be just
chitty chatting away. I have a nice sized bedroom with a closet. I have
a full functioning bathroom. I was blessed with a deck because
it’s bigger on this side. I can’t not garden. It’s
just kind of in my blood.
(Visual: External shot of Cornerstone. The camera cuts to a panning shot of Melaine’s living room which includes a couch and a recliner. The camera pans across her kitchen revealing her appliances and the many cookbooks on her shelf. The camera pans across her bedroom revealing a made bed. A desk is in the corner of the room. The camera pans across her bathroom showing a bathtub, toilet, and sink. Melaine is outside on her balcony. A close-up shot shows her sniping a cucumber free from her garden planter with a pair of shears. Melaine grabs the stem of a flower and admires the bloom.)
03:01
So, the Co-Investment Fund played a significant role in the development
of this building. They came online and provided a 10 million dollar
grant for the development. If we did not have that grant, we could not
have built this building.
(Visual: The camera tilts upward to reveal a sign on an office door. The sign reads: Opportunities Yukon – Jillian Hardie – Executive Director & CEO. Jillian Hardie, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in an office boardroom. A photo shows Jillian Hardie among others cutting a ribbon outside of Cornerstone at the grand opening of the building.)
03:17
So, this is a really good shot in the arm for supply that Cornerstone is
providing, and it seems to have all the foundations to be successful.
(Visual: Mike Gau sits in his office working on his computer. Mike Gau, the man speaking, appears on camera. He is facing the camera and is being interviewed in the Whitehorse City Hall. The camera cut back to him in his office. A closeup of his hands shows him typing.)
03:27
A small but mighty NGO has now filled a very important housing gap in
the Yukon.
(Visual: External wide shot of the Yukon Housing Corporation sign. Mary Cameron, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in an office boardroom.)
03:33
My advice for other developers is don’t be afraid to say, “I
don’t know”. And to really utilize your partnerships in the
community and the people who do know.
(Visual: The camera pans across the Opportunities Yukon office entrance. Jillian Hardie, the woman speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being interviewed in an office boardroom.)
03:45
Even though I have been here for so long, I really didn’t know my
community. This forced me to recognize the housing concerns… recognize
women’s concerns. I’m going to use my time to be on boards,
but I would have never done that had I not actually gone through this
transition. The unknown is scary, but the support here is incredible.
(Visual: A small yellow flower blows in the breeze on Melaine’s
balcony. Melaine steps onto her balcony. She plucks a carrot from her
garden. She grabs a fresh herb from her planter and chews it, smiling
brightly as she continues to tend to her garden. Melaine, the woman
speaking, appears on camera. She is facing the camera and is being
interviewed in the kitchen of her home.)
(Music volume goes up)
(Visual: High drone shot of a car travelling down a quiet highway in
the Yukon. The road is lined with trees, and the sun rises from behind
the mountains in the distance.)
(Text on screen: Cornerstone offers affordable and supportive housing
to people with diverse needs. It was supported, in part, by the
National Housing Co-Investment Fund.)
(Text on screen: #NationalHousingStrategy, placetocallhome.ca)
(Music fades out)
(Visual: Text, the National Housing Strategy logo, Government of
Canada logo, and CMHC logo fade in together. All text and logos fade
to white.)
“It’s overwhelming with happiness… I’m gonna cry.”
Melaine has been through a lot these last few years. She’s battled health concerns and personal challenges, all while navigating various living situations and the uncertainty that comes with not knowing where she’ll be next. It’s no wonder she can’t hide her relief at finding a safe, affordable home at Cornerstone Community in Whitehorse.
Cornerstone opened its doors in 2022. The 45-unit, mixed use residential building is home to people with low incomes or those at risk of homelessness, individuals with disabilities and working professionals.
For former aircraft industry professional and business consultant Melaine and her neighbours, it’s a haven and a supportive community. It’s also helping to fill a housing gap for the City of Whitehorse.
Photo: City of Whitehorse
Twenty years in the making
“Whitehorse is undergoing a bit of a population boom,” says Mike Gau, director of development services with the City of Whitehorse. “It is recognized as one of the fastest growing cities in the country and we are really feeling it in the housing sector. It’s very hard to develop land here and expensive, so it’s time consuming and there’s been a long struggle trying to get ahead of the demand.”
It’s about building a community of individuals and not a class system.
Twenty years in the making, Cornerstone Community was developed by Opportunities Yukon, formerly known as Challenge Disability Resource Group. The non-profit organization provides support and resources to help people with disabilities become active members in their community. Individuals are encouraged to explore paths to self-discovery and independent living through a wide range of social and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Community consultations with housing providers, visits to similar facilities in both Yukon and British Columbia and discussions with other organizations helped the team explore what did and didn’t work.
The final concept was a building that catered to a wide variety of housing needs, provided space for gatherings and workshops, a café, retail space, employment and training opportunities and a community garden.
“It’s about building a community of individuals and not a class system,” says Jillian Hardie, former executive director, Opportunities Yukon.
“And we are seeing the successes of that already.”
A difficult journey
Melaine loves to garden. She plucks a few leaves from the vegetables on her balcony. “I can’t not garden,” she says. “It’s kinda in my blood.”
She moved to Whitehorse from Vancouver Island in 2004.
“I found this beautiful little spot that’s only 15 minutes out and developed that over many years and put in a garden.”
Then things shifted.
It’s not the house that makes the community, it’s the people AND the house.
“Around 2017, my ex-partner got a kidney transplant that he had been waiting for 9 and a half years and I was the sole care giver. Things changed a lot. He changed a lot. Over the next couple of years, I found he wasn’t the person I thought I knew. It put a lot of stress on me and I ended up with a heart attack.”
Melaine was medevacked to Vancouver and diagnosed with massive heart failure. When she returned, she suffered another heart condition and ended up in the local hospital.
“The hospital’s social worker and my doctor said you can’t go home because there’s a good chance you won’t leave. I went into a women’s shelter, then a transition home and a hotel for a while. I put my name out for housing everywhere.”
When she learned she had been accepted into Cornerstone, she was overjoyed.
“It’s got everything I need. It’s a nice open concept. Bedroom is big enough I can fit a freezer in there.
I was raised by a camp house cook. It’s impossible for me to make one meal. People will bring me stuff, I will cook a bunch and send it back as cooked meals or, pass it on to somebody else, perhaps.”
The transition from country living to an urban apartment was quite intimidating.
“My neighbours, I couldn’t even see. Now they’re right next door.”
The trade-off, however, is invaluable.
“If I need a little help lifting something I’ll pull in some of the strong young fellows right out of the hallway – ‘I need a little help, I’ve got some muffins or, how would you like some burritos?’ We trade that way because my strength isn’t there anymore and they can’t cook worth a darn.”
She’s also grateful for the staff.
“I was down for a week when I got my second COVID shot. I had a bunch of soups in my freezer and the staff said we’ll come up if you need some soup or tea and check on you.
Y’know, it’s not the house that makes the community, it’s the people AND the house.”
A “small but mighty NGO”
Community spirit is part of Cornerstone’s DNA.
From inception to completion the list of partners and supporters is long.
“With Cornerstone there are some key things that they did, and they did well,” says Mary Cameron, former president, Yukon Housing Corporation.
“They aligned with policy direction from government. They aligned with community need and community gaps and they got on side allies and friends and family.
Council of the day saw the need and were able to get creative and find a way to kickstart the project.
I’ll give Jillian Hardie a whole whack of credit because she picked it up and ran forward, very strategically connected all the funds and had the patience and the long game in mind.”
The City of Whitehorse stepped up first with a $1 million grant for the project.
“It was one of the first big, multi-government partnerships to help that project get off the ground,” says Mike. “Council of the day saw the need and were able to get creative and find a way to kickstart the project, sparking support at other government levels.”
This small but mighty NGO has now filled a very important housing gap in the Yukon.
“The National Housing Strategy’s Co-Investment Fund played a significant role in the development of the building,” says Jillian. “If we did not have that grant, we could not have built this building.”
“Truly the ability for Yukon Housing to be able to come in full throttle was with the support of CMHC,” says Mary. “And now this small but mighty NGO has now filled a very important housing gap in the Yukon.”
Photo: City of Whitehorse
Using lived experience to help others
Melaine’s involvement in the Cornerstone community has inspired her to give back.
“I’ve been up here for almost 20 years,” she says. “And what I say now is that even though I’ve been here for so long, I really didn’t know my community. This forced me to recognize the housing concerns, recognize women’s concerns.
I was a business professional for 50 years and I see things now from the other side. And I also see where there could be some improvements.
So, I’m going to use my time to be on boards. But I would never have done that had I not gone through this transition.”
KEY FACTS
- The Cornerstone Community project was created by Opportunities Yukon. The organization contributed approximately $600,000 toward the project.
- The Government of Canada contributed $15.1 million toward the Cornerstone development through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund. This National Housing Strategy program prioritises projects for women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans, and young adults.
- The Government of Yukon contributed approximately $7.6 million toward the project.
- The City of Whitehorse contributed $1 million toward the project.
- The Rick Hansen Foundation provided pre-construction certification, accessible signage and assistive technology; KZA Architects provided pre-concept work, designs and support during development; Lamarche, Lang and Barrett provided legal support; and Coordinated Housing Access Team provided tenant selection services. The Yukon Government’s Department of Health and Social Services are providing funding for support staff in the building. Additional supports and services are provided by a wide variety of partners and organizations.