Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
A residence for people with special needs in Ottawa’s Overbrook neighbourhood is closing its doors and has informed residents that they’ll need to find a new place to live.
The owner of Edgewood Care Centre on Stevens Avenue told residents in a letter this week that it’s expected to close by Sept. 30.
The facility is currently home to just over 100 adults living with significant mental health or cognitive issues.
According to its website, the centre provides all their meals, housekeeping and personal needs, with staff on hand 24 hours a day.
Ken Woodcock, a resident there for over 25 years, said it’s been a “good place” to live and he would have liked to stay.
“It’s community housing, meals are good, everybody does what they can to help each other,” Woodcock said. “There’s all sorts of different groups.”
He said most residents are taking the news in stride, but some are “a little shocked.”
Building needs upgrades, owner says
According to the letter handed to residents, the building “is old and requires upgrades that under the existing program supports made its continued use as a Dom Hostel home impossible.”
A dom hostel is a private or non-profit residence that provides long-term housing, meals and other basic support for vulnerable adults.
“We tried to find a purchaser that would continue to operate the facility but could not,” the letter continues, acknowledging that the news “likely raises questions and concerns” for residents.
The letter says Edgewood will help residents explore their options for relocation.
Edgewood was established in 1983 and is owned by Precision Health Group, a company that owns various care facilities, medical clinics and pharmacies in Nova Scotia and Ontario.
It’s one of many facilities under the City of Ottawa’s residential services program, which offers long-term housing with personal support for vulnerable adults with mental and physical disabilities.
Edgewood’s owner did not respond to several calls and emails from CBC Ottawa.