The Care Campus is a repurposed hotel and conference centre that is being converted into supportive housing.  

It includes the following on-site service: 

•             Client Care Workers on-site 24/7 (Staffed by Northreach Society)

•             Commercial kitchen

•             Dining room

•             Programming space

•             Cultural support space

•              Programming and support (Staffed by Northreach Society)

•             In-reach health and mental health support (Alberta Health Services)

•             Housing Support Workers to deliver life skills training and support for maintaining housing

The facility includes:

• 63 units for supportive living housing. These rooms are licensed under the Supportive Living Accommodation Licensing program.
• 43 units for independent living. These rooms will be governed by the Residential Tenancy Act.

Benefits of this operational model include:

• Time and cost savings
• Operational efficiency
• Accessible units
• Energy efficient design considerations

The Coordinated Care Campus provides both supportive housing units and affordable housing options.

The 63 supportive housing units provide permanent homes for people exiting chronic homelessness.  Supportive housing is not a shelter, as residents sign a lease and pay rent. Residents are provided 24/7 access to onsite wellness and social supports assisting individuals in achieving and maintaining stable housing.   

The 43 affordable housing option provides safe stable housing to those who do not require additional supports, or plan to transition to market housing.

Resident selection is subject to eligibility requirements which will be assessed by housing professionals at a City led “Hub Table” whose membership includes representatives from the City, Northreach Society, Centrepoint, Canadian Mental Health Association, Rotary House, and others.

Grande Prairie has a strongly identified need for supportive housing based on the Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).

Previous attempts at new-builds have not seen the success required to fully address the need. The scattered-site supportive housing system currently available to Housing First participants in Grande Prairie is limited in its effectiveness to support those with complex needs and is heavily affected by the availability of private landlords willing to lease their units to Housing First clients. The resulting impacts are straining our local emergency shelters, policing resources, and healthcare system.

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic permitted the site to be considered as a Rapid Housing option.

Benefits of purchasing an existing site at the current location included:

• Developed land
• Economies of scale
• Turn-key infrastructure with potential for quick occupancy
• Potential divestment of City buildings and inclusion of existing furniture, appliances and equipment
• Close to health and support services
• Walking distance to amenities
• Access to transit

For these reasons, the Care Campus was created to optimize the current economic conditions to meet our community’s needs and provide a sustainable supportive housing solution with the greatest return on investment.

Phase 1:

• 63 supportive living units
  • Features 9 pods, 5 for men and 4 for women, with 7 supportive housing units per pod, for a total of 63 supportive housing rooms. Each pod features:
    • Accessible corridors
    • Security cameras
    • Emergency intercom system
    • Two full accessible washrooms
    • Quiet common area
    • Small fridge
    • Coffee maker
    • Shared TV
    • Large window
  • Each supportive housing unit includes:
    • A bed
    • Linens
    • Bedside table
    • Lamp
    • Desk
    • Dresser
    • Chair
    • TV
    • Dimmable lighting
    • Emergency intercom setting
    • Individual temperature control
• Medical space
  • 3 exam rooms
  • 4 office spaces for a service provider
  • A large waiting room

Phase 2:

• Common areas
  • Recreation and programming area including:
    • A communication wall for resident updates
    • A snack bar
    • Games tables
    • Tables for sitting or crafting
    • A library area and reading nook
    • A fireplace and quiet area
    • A TV area
  • Dining Room
    • Full furnishings and capacity to accommodate all meals for residents
    • Three nutritious meals are served each day provided by the Community Kitchen
  • Commercial Kitchen
    • Two large commercial cooktops
    • Prep areas
    • Refrigeration
    • Warmers
    • Dishwasher
    • Storage
    • Offers meals for current residents and presents an opportunity for social enterprise, partnerships, and job skills training for residents as part of programming
  • Fitness room
    • Two stationary bikes
    • Free weights
  • Laundy Room
    • Available for resident use
    • Features capacity for 5 washers and dryers
  • Flex Room
    • Accomodates up to 10 people for meetings
    • Available to be used for group therapy
  • Indigenous Cultural Space
    • Offers opportunity for inclusivity and spiritual balance
    • Includes a large, designated room for cultural activities such as prayer and beading
    • Features the 7 Sacred teachings artwork
    • Fully vented to accommodate ceremonial smudging

Phase 3:

• 43 independent living units
  • Furnished: bed, mattress, night table, desk, lamps, artwork
    • Wall-mounted TV
    • Kitchenettes: microwave, small fridge, hotplate, sink
    • Private washroom with tub/shower
    • Accessible Units available
    • Individual temperature controlled
• Municipal office space
  • To accommodate up to 70 City of Grande Prairie employees
  • Meeting rooms
• Reception space
  • Available to act as an Emergency Operations Centre during an activation of the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership (GPREP)

The total cost of the project is currently budgeted at over $23 million.

The costs per unit remain below comparable projects in other municipalities.

Funding for the project has been supplemented by several grants including:

Capital Grants and Funding

Operational Funding

Further funding opportunities are being explored including through:

• Federal Rapid Housing Initiatives
• Farm Credit Canada AgriSpirit Fund                                     
• TD Friends of the Environment Fund                                             
• David Suzuki's Healing Forest Fund

One of the keys to the long-term success of the Care Campus is community inclusion and involvement.

To achieve this, the project team works to actively connect with stakeholders, community and business members and neighbouring areas through activities such as:

• Engagement sessions
• Public notices and signage throughout development
• Presentations to community groups such as the Municipal Policing Advisory Committee and Opioid Task force
• Good Neighbour Agreements
• Resident Advisory Committee
• Establishment of carecampus@cityofgp.com for community and neighbourhood feedback
• Various updates to the community via Council reports, media releases website updates, and social media

Community Advisory Committee

In 2022 the Coordinated Care Campus Community Advisory Committee was formed to provide a connection between the Coordinated Care Campus and the community, with members providing advice and feedback on matters related to the facility.

Its mandate aims to provide:

• advice and recommendations pertaining to community education, integration and engagement
• advice and recommendations on identified matters of concern brought forward through the Good Neighbour Grievance process
• feedback in the ongoing evaluation and planning for the Coordinated Care Campus and its programs

The committee includes seven public members representing varying sectors including:

View their Terms of Reference here.

Grande Prairie is making progress toward ending chronic homelessness still has a strongly identified need for supportive housing based on the Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).

Individuals will face different kind of challenges that lead to housing instability, but ending chronic homelessness is possible. The City and its community partners are working to create a homeless-serving system and a supply of appropriate housing that allows us to quickly connect people with the support and housing they need.

Shelter models provide critical emergency short-term services to those experiencing homelessness. Shelter models are meant to be a last resort, and often offer open admission based on capacity.  Accommodations are often in a group setting.

Supportive housing provides long term solution to chronic homelessness. Residents must meet eligibility by a team of housing practitioners.  Residents pay rent for their own units.  Residents also have access to 24-hour onsite supports and programming specific to needs, which allows residents to remain successfully housed. 

Coordinated care and supportive housing provides a stable home for people with no other housing options.

Results of this include:

• Improved physical and mental wellbeing of residents
• Increased social inclusion and independence of residents
• Reduced interactions with emergency medical services and law enforcements amongst residents
• Reduced costs to related services for taxpayers

Yes. Supportive housing helps residents maintain their housing, reducing the volume of homelessness and related issues in the city and creating a safer, vibrant community for all residents.

Once in a supportive housing unit, individuals previously experiencing homelessness report improvements in access to employment, income, education, addiction issues, mental health and life-skills.

Supportive housing is for people who have experienced chronic homelessness and need help to maintain housing and require 24-7 support. Individuals in supportive housing report improvements in access to employment, income, education, addiction issues, mental health, and life-skills.

Residents are referred to a supportive housing site based on their support requirements and what the specific site offers in terms of supports and programming. Tenant choice is also a determining factor in their housing placement.

The Care Campus houses individuals from the City’s Housing First program who require support due to physical, mental, or behavioral health challenges. These individuals have greater challenges accessing market housing, require on-going support and typically have a history of chronic homelessness.

Resident selection is subject to eligibility requirements which will be assessed by housing professionals at a City led “Hub Table” whose membership includes representatives from the City, Northreach Society, Centrepoint, Canadian Mental Health Association, Rotary House, and others.

Three assessment tools used to assess tenant eligibility include a Service Prioritization Decision Assessment Tool, Biopsychosocial Assessment and a Risk Assessment. This process ensures that the supports on-site match the needs of the residents.

Programs and supportive services such as:

• 24/7 crisis services
• Independent living skills
• Medication assistance
• Mental health services
• Health services, including home care services, continuing care, disability services
• Cultural, ceremonial, and spiritual practices
• Psycho-social, recreation or support group activities
• Financial goal planning

All programs and support services are based on individual case plan.

Despite the cost escalation, the project remains lower in cost in comparison to a new build.

For instance, a 26-unit affordable housing project under development in the area (Spirit River) is projected to have a construction cost of $285K per door (does not include land acquisition and development) and a 42-unit permanent supportive housing project in the City of Lethbridge is under development with a projected cost of $320k per door. 

Further the project completion timelines for each of those projects is expected to be significantly longer than that of the CCC and will require significant additional investment to supply furniture and equipment which in large part has been included in the CCC purchase.

Additionally, the costs of providing supportive housing remain lower than the costs of services and supports required to address issues related to homelessness.

No. The Coordinated Care Campus uses a recovery-oriented system of care and addiction management supports. It does not include a supervised consumption site.

Residential tenancy laws apply to residents, including the prohibition of use of illicit substances on site.

The Coordinated Care Campus is a supportive housing project which is a critical type of housing outlined in The Grande Prairie Five Year Plan to End Homelessness (2015-2019), Affordable Housing Action Plan (2021-2022), and Homelessness Strategy (2021-2023).

Previous attempts at new-builds have not seen the success required to fully address the need. The scattered-site supportive housing system currently available to Housing First participants in Grande Prairie is limited in its effectiveness to support those with complex needs and is heavily affected by the availability of private landlords willing to lease their units to Housing First clients. The resulting impacts are straining our local emergency shelters, policing resources, and healthcare system.

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic permitted the site to be considered as a Rapid Housing option.

Benefits of purchasing an existing site at the current location included:

• Developed land

• Economies of scale

• Turn-key infrastructure with potential for quick occupancy

• Potential divestment of City buildings and inclusion of existing furniture, appliances and equipment

• Close to health and support services

• Walking distance to amenities

• Access to transit

For these reasons, the Care Campus was created to optimize the current economic conditions to meet our community’s needs and provide a sustainable supportive housing solution with the greatest return on investment.

A Request for Expression of Interest was issued March 26, 2021 with a submission deadline of April 12, 2021, resulting in 0 submissions

The Rezoning process was initiated May 14, 2021 and concluded June 28.

Please note, Interim Mayor Jackie Clayton voluntarily recused herself from all Council discussion, deliberation and decision-making on the Coordinated Care Campus Project due to a perceived conflict of interest.

The Community Social Development, Enforcement Services, and Emergency Management (GPREP) departments are confirmed and committed to relocating.  There are additional opportunities for other service providers to lease within the space.