Frequently Asked Questions

The City initially made an offer to purchase the property with the intent of establishing transitional supportive housing. This model typically provides tenants with their own bedrooms and a shared common space such as kitchen, bathrooms and living spaces. Services are often provided on site by support staff and can range from counselling to skill development. Community members would live there full time and pay rent for their space. Transitional housing is intended to support people day-to-day as they work towards independent living. This model is different than the Integrated Care Hub which offers people short term shelter and drop-in space with a harm reduction lens.  

In the time since the City’s offer was accepted and as part of the City’s due diligence period prior to closing the City has continued to explore opportunities to provide transitional housing at 309 Queen Mary Road. In addition to transitional housing the City is now in advanced conversation with a group who are interested in offering primary care services at 309 Queen Mary Road. These primary health services would occupy one portion of the building while the transitional housing would occupy another portion and a third portion would be allocated for community use.  

This type of care typically involves routine care, care for urgent but minor or common health problems, mental health care, maternity and child care, psychosocial services, liaison with home care, health promotion and disease prevention, nutrition counselling and end-of-life care (Canadian Institute for Health Information). At 309 Queen Mary Road, primary health care is expected to include an interdisciplinary team of health practitioners. The primary care is not intended as a resource restricted to those in the transitional housing portion of the site – it would provide health care and family doctors to the community.

Yes, in the City’s conversations to date the primary health care team has understood that a portion of the property at 309 Queen Mary Road will be used as transitional supportive housing. The health team is very interested in the site and sees the benefits of being in this shared space from a community health perspective.

No - the City is not considering 309 Queen Mary Road for a Consumption and Treatment Services (safe injection site). Consumption and Treatment Services is managed by Kingston Community Health Centres and funded by the provincial government. This service is regulated by the federal government (Health Canada) with specific locational requirements. Health Canada reviews and approves CTS locations often on private lands and through lease agreements. The City of Kingston is not required to accommodate these services within City owned properties. 

Yes, the current model being developed by the City would see a portion of the site committed to transitional housing, a portion committed to a primary health care clinic and a portion remaining available for use as community program space.  

Unsheltered or absolute homelessness is the type of homelessness that is generally thought of when talking about homelessness. It is a narrow concept that includes individuals that are living in public or private spaces without consent, as well as those living in places not fit for permanent human habitation (Statistics Canada).

Emergency sheltered homelessness includes individuals that are currently living in shelters that are specifically designed to temporarily accommodate people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This includes homeless shelters, shelters designed to house those fleeing domestic violence or emergency shelters for those impacted by natural disasters (Statistics Canada).

Transitional supportive housing provides a physical environment that is specifically designed to be safe, secure, enabling, and home-like, with support services such as social services, life skill supports, housekeeping, and social and recreational activities, to maximize residents’ independence, privacy, and dignity (CMHC, 2018). Persons in transitional housing pay rent and live there full time. Transitional housing is intended to support people day-to-day as they work towards independent living.

Transitional supportive housing provides a physical environment that is specifically designed to be safe, secure, enabling, and home-like, with support services such as social services, life skill supports, housekeeping, and social and recreational activities, to maximize residents’ independence, privacy, and dignity (CMHC, 2018). In addition to offering housing, the operator would be responsible for coordinating partnerships to offer additional on-site support and health care services delivered by community partners. A provision of client services, to support individuals with their physical and mental health needs, to assist them in embracing their full potential and attend broadly to their social determinants of health. These support services would create opportunities for community integration to promote social inclusion and reduce isolation.

The target population would be individuals who are aged 55+ and are currently on the By Name List in Kingston as well as individuals discharged from hospital with health care needs.

The City worked with partners to buy properties and open various transitional supportive housing projects in the last few years. These include 113 Lower Union, 805 Ridley Street and 494 Fieldstone Drive. 

The ICH provides low-barrier and wrap-around services to community members with immediate needs such as safety, food, rest and longer-term needs such as addiction and mental health services. The two main services are:

Consumption and Treatment Services (safe injection site) provides supervised consumption services for people using drugs and is operated by Kingston Community Health Centres with funding from the provincial government. This service is regulated by the federal government (Health Canada) with specific locational requirements. Health Canada reviews and approves Consumption and Treatment Services locations. This service is available 12 hours a day.

The Hub provides drop-in services and shelter for those who need it. People can access showers, washrooms, food, counselling, rest and warm up. Hub services is operated by Addiction & Mental Health Services and funded primarily by the Ministry of Health with a contribution from the City of Kingston. Addiction & Mental Health Services is leasing the 661 Montreal Street property from a private landlord.

Yes! We look forward to holding public engagements, which we anticipate will occur in late spring/early summer once further discussions with partners take place. In the meantime, we invite you to fill out the pre-engagement survey question or email GetInvolvedKingston@CityofKingston.ca with your feedback. 

This property is zoned for institutional Minor Zone (IN1). This broad zoning designation allows for the City to be able to deliver a variety of support services, including health care support services on site, which is not available to most transitional supportive housing. This zoning allows for the following uses:

• Dwelling units in a mixed use building (as an accessory use only)
• Animal care
• Banquet hall
• Cemetery
• Community centre (defined as: the use of any lot or building where members of the public are provided with health services, social support services, cultural, social or recreational programs or life/work skills training programs and where neither overnight care nor living accommodation is available. A day care centre is a permitted accessory use to a community centre)
• Day care centre (as an accessory use only)
• Institutional use (defined as: the use of any lot or building by any organization, group, or association for government, religious, charitable, educational, benevolent, health or welfare purposes and not for profit or gain, but does not include uses otherwise defined herein)
• Library
• Museum
• Place of worship
• Secondary school
• Special needs facility (defined as: the use of any lot or building for housing providing a group living arrangement for people who have specific needs beyond economic needs and that is not a group home, including but not limited to, needs such as mobility requirements or support functions required for daily living. This includes any dedicated facilities for such use and may include a wellness clinic as an accessory use.)
• Wellness clinic (defined as the use of any lot or building by physicians, dentists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, nurses, naturopaths, osteopaths, psychologists, therapists, registered massage therapists, optometrists or other similar medically focused practitioners, for the purpose of consultation, diagnosis, and office treatment associated with such profession. A wellness clinic may include administrative offices, waiting rooms, treatment rooms, laboratories, pharmacies and dispensaries directly associated with the clinic, but excludes a hospital.)