Indwell purchases Hamilton church to build affordable units
A Hamilton church is teaming up with a local faith-based agency to save its sanctuary and build 40 affordable-housing units.
Indwell, a force in deeply affordable, supportive apartments in Hamilton, has purchased the Wentworth Baptist Church property.
We've very excited," Rev. Sean McGuire said on behalf of the roughly 65-member congregation Tuesday.
Indwell can provide the homes, and we provide a bit of hope at the same time."
The plan is to restore the 97-year-old sanctuary at the corner of Cannon Street East and demolish a two-storey section that was last renovated in 1993.
That wing, which has served a variety of functions over the years, is where 40 one- and two-bedroom apartments will go.
It's just a great location for our future tenants," said Teresa Howe, community engagement manager for Indwell.
The hope is that elements of an original stone farmhouse - enveloped by the newer building and believed to date to the 1870s - can be incorporated into the plan.
We'd like to use as many of the heritage materials as we can," said Graham Cubitt, Indwell's director of projects and development.
The church put the property up for sale in 2019 when it faced an affordability crossroads, said McGuire, who has been lead pastor since 2014.
That was impetus, expecting the maintenance and repair cost to skyrocket in the next couple of years."
The stars didn't immediately align when the two budding partners first broached the idea of affordable housing on the site. Some would-be buyers made offers, but they fell through. Last year, Indwell was back in the picture and a partnership was forged.
McGuire isn't sure whether the sanctuary would have been razed had things not worked out with Indwell, but agrees the arrangement was fortuitous.
We saw a synergy of mission, that we could really work well together in a partnership."
Construction is expected to start in 2022 and take about 18 months to complete. Wentworth Baptist will lease the sanctuary from Indwell for 30 years. The housing provider will find the congregation a temporary space to hold services during construction.
Indwell is part of Hamilton is Home, a coalition of community housing providers and CityHousing that aims to build 3,000 affordable units in three years.
The Wentworth Baptist project, estimated to cost between $12 million and $15 million, fits into that initiative, Cubitt said.
The intent is to apply for funding under the federal government's National Housing Strategy via the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
The addition of 40 affordable units comes amid a soaring rental market in Hamilton and people sleeping in tents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Wentworth Baptist-Indwell plan also dovetails with a passionate public debate over St. Giles United Church.
Owner New Vision United Church had initially planned to demolish St. Giles, a more-than-century-old vacant temple at 85 Holton Ave. S., to make way for a mixed-income housing project.
The idea was to provide housing and offer New Vision a source of income to help maintain its historic downtown location at Centenary Church, which serves both congregations. That plan, which came under fire by heritage advocates, is on hold.
Cubitt said Indwell has offered New Vision its expertise in adaptive reuse projects, but doesn't want to take over the project.
We'd like to provide inspiration."
Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com