Good Shepherd plans to turn a former Hamilton retirement home — the site of a deadly coronavirus outbreak during the early pandemic — into supportive housing for seniors.
The social-service agency has bought the shuttered Rosslyn Retirement Residence building for just under $9 million, chief executive officer Brother Richard MacPhee said.
Once building permits are in hand, the goal is to have renovations complete in three to six months, MacPhee said.
The future 68 residents are expected to be older adults in Good Shepherd housing who need more support but not long-term care, he noted.
Rent-geared-to-income supportive housing is a solution for homelessness, MacPhee said.
“But it’s also a solution for many other folks, particularly those individuals who do not have the money to go into some of the higher-end private retirement homes.”
The King Street East residence at Rosslyn Avenue South near Gage Park was the site of tragedy in 2020 when 16 residents died after a coronavirus outbreak infected dozens in the building.
After the outbreak, the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) yanked the Rosslyn operator’s licence and the residence never reopened.
It was one of 11 care homes once owned by the Martinos, a family with a history of poorly run residences in Ontario.
Past plans to reopen the building have fizzled, and in 2022, firefighters contained a small suspicious fire there before it spread.
A committee of adjustment application by a prior owner seeking to allow conversion of the retirement residence to rental units was also denied last year.
MacPhee noted Good Shepherd’s supportive-housing blueprint, which involves resident rooms and common areas, doesn’t need zoning changes.
Interior work includes switching out bathtubs for more accessible wheel-in showers.
Outside, the building’s curb appeal will be improved with a paint job, decorations and flowers, MacPhee said.
“We’re waiting on buildings permits … and then moving forward.”
Good Shepherd