Welcome to The Beacon, Right at Home Housing Society's new residential project in Beacon Heights. This webpage has been created to post updates about the project, answer commonly asked questions, and provide contact information to community members.
The Beacon is a 2.5 storey building that will be located at 11855 36 St. NW. The building will contain 21 homes, including:
13 three bedroom units,
5 four bedroom units,
2 four bedroom, wheelchair accessible units, and
1 two bedroom, wheelchair accessible unit.
The new building will be a stacked row house, in which each home has private, direct access to the street outside. This is a purposeful design choice that will help activate the street and integrate the building into the surrounding neighbourhood.
On-site construction has begun and we're hoping to have it completed by June, 2022. The construction will include the use of modular materials, which will cut down on the length of time it takes to build the building.
Please note that this timeline is tentative, and subject to approvals and grant funding from the City of Edmonton.
Updates to the construction timeline will be posted here, so please check back!
In 2017 and 2018 Right at Home had a different project in mind for this site. That project was a four storey modular apartment building with community and office space on the main floor, which was discussed with the community league and the business improvement area at that time.
Further investigation into the proposed modular construction method found that the building would be very expensive to build. We also had trouble finding a partner to take on the management of the community and office space. This led Right at Home to revisit the designs and come up with The Beacon.
The new building has fewer units than the originally proposed building (21 versus 23) and is also lower in height (2.5 storeys versus 4 storeys). There are also individual entrances for each family so that there is a more neighbourly feel to the building.
As an organization Right at Home provides long-term housing for both families and individuals. Our expected residents of The Beacon are families with children. We have residents that have been with us for 25 years, including families who have lived in our homes since 1992. Our residents are long term and become a part of the communities they live in.
Right At Home is committed to housing local families in The Beacon. Residents will be selected from local families who are:
currently living in the Beverly area and are on Right At Home’s wait list,
identified by the Candora Society, or
identified through Islamic Family and Social Services (IFSS). IFSS will be providing supports to residents on site.
Homes will be rented at 80% of market rate to qualified tenants. If you're curious about whether you and your family qualify, please contact Right at Home at (780) 423-1339.
Right at Home has 35 years of experience in tenant management.
In all cases, it is important to us that our residents contribute positively to their building and the surrounding community.
Residents will apply in-person at our offices, which provides an opportunity for us to meet and speak with them. We then also conduct reference checks of previous landlords.
All new residents will sign a three-month lease at the start of their tenancy, which can be extended after that time.
Right at Home is committed to ensuring our properties are well managed and do not cause disruption for neighbours.
We will have a clear set of rules on lease agreements that refer to ‘landlord remedies’ under the Residential Tenancies Act which residents will be required to sign. This means that disruptive and other unacceptable behaviors can be acted on and enforced in a timely manner.
We will also ensure that our neighbours have direct contact information for our Edmonton-based offices so they can share any concerns. Being a local landlord, we are able to respond quickly should any issues arise.
Thirteen parking stalls will be provided on the site, including two barrier free parking stalls. Bicycle parking will also be provided.
Right at Home has 35 years of experience working within a range of communities in Edmonton.
Positive community relationships are an essential part of who we are as an organization. We believe affordable housing isn’t just about serving the people who live in our homes, but also about strengthening the whole community.
Our Strategic Plan, which guides all of our work, highlights the importance of community relationships, including:
Our mission, which speaks to using affordable housing to strengthen all communities.
Our values, where we state our commitment to being good neighbours, ensuring well-managed properties, investment in local communities, and limiting the environmental impact of our housing.
One approach we take to good relations with our neighbours is making sure they know us. This way, if any problems arise, they can call us directly to get issues addressed.
Right at Home is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors who provide oversight on the organization.
As a registered charity, we also have to comply with Canada Revenue Agency reporting requirements. We file an audited financial statement to the Canadian Revenue Agency on an annual basis.
Right at Home currently has $4 million in its reserves. We continue to add approximately $360,000 in reserve funding per year, meeting our anticipated capital investment requirements over time.
As per best practices, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation will require Right at Home Housing to put aside a percentage of operating revenue into a replacement reserve as part of The Beacon. When possible, we will exceed the required annual amount.
These reserve dollars ensure Right at Home can keep our properties well maintained over the long term.
We're committed to being a good neighbour; please feel welcome to contact us with any questions or comments you have about the project.
Chelsey Jersak | Planning consultant | Situate | chelsey@situateinc.ca | (780) 974-4956
Anne Stevenson | Director of Strategic Initiatives | Right at Home | astevenson@rightathomehousing.com | (780) 686-5280
