Developed through The Infrastructure Institute’s ongoing Social Purpose Real Estate (SPRE) Accelerator, this project is a partnership between Arise and The Working Centre. The Working Centre supports more than 200 people living rough each year and assists newcomers through its Job Search Resource Centre. Together, our two organizations are exploring socially and financially sustainable development opportunities for a long-held property near downtown Kitchener.

The goal is to create a mixed-use model that combines affordable rental housing with meaningful community space. The existing house accommodates five residents and a coordinator; the proposal would densify the site with a rear addition to increase capacity to up to 20 units, while converting half of the ground floor into street-oriented commercial space.

Now in the feasibility stage, the team is evaluating multiple massing scenarios that vary unit types and numbers, with and without commercial components. This iterative process integrates design and pro-forma analysis, allowing each to inform and refine the other.