A new supportive and affordable housing project in Brampton is ready to break ground, and the non-profit behind it is reaching out to the public to invest in their community.
Services and Housing In the Province (SHIP) is a non-profit that provides wraparound supportive housing services and deeply affordable housing for those with mental health and addiction challenges.
“There’s so much need in the community. I think everybody knows about the housing crisis, and we’re doing our part with that segment of folks who may have trouble finding and keeping housing,” says Lori Ker, Board Chair of SHIP.
Jeffery Sinclair is a SHIP client who lives in one of their supportive housing buildings. He says it has given him the support he needs to thrive.
“My life was really ups and downs,” he explained. “Living on my own without any support, I just keep on going in and out of the hospital, which I just could not manage on my own. But being in a facility where there’s support, you just kind of have that comfort and have that foundation where you could actually just stand up on your own.”
Ker says it’s about dignity and giving folks a chance to get well and live to their full potential.
“This, to be clear, is not a donation. This is an investment. It’s an ethical investing opportunity, where you get to know firsthand that your money is being put to good use to address such a difficult issue for all of us. We’re not paying the bank interest rates, and that way we’re paying back to the community who has trusted us and invested in this project.”
SHIP currently own 11 buildings and manages 1,200 such units. Their latest acquisition is a large plot on Main Street in Brampton that will be redeveloped into 52 units.
“We’re in the pre-development stages. We’re offering a SHIP community bond program. We’re trying to raise $4 million,” says Ker, adding that investing and building more supportive housing has broader beneficial implications for the provincial healthcare system.
“Supportive housing in and of itself has been proven to actually reduce the stress on the health system. So, paying for a supportive housing unit is far less expensive than hospitalizations or emergency room visits, or even the shelter system. So the cost per bed goes way down when you’re able to invest in supportive housing.”
SHIP is accepting investments until they reach their goal of $4 million, and the latest project is expected to be completed in 2027.
