A continuum of housing for Yellowknife seniors

Seniors in the Northwest Territories will have more options for staying in their community as they get older and need more care. The Northwest Territories lacks affordable housing in general, and there is a specific need for affordable rental housing with supports for seniors. Many seniors must choose between living at home without the care they need, or relocating away from their community to reside in a residence that can provide the increasing level of services they require. The AVENS Pavilion will be a 102-unit apartment complex offering both independent housing and supportive living services, so that seniors can move seamlessly through different levels of care. Since the Pavilion is the first supportive living housing facility of its kind in the North, it requires significant planning, consultation, and community engagement to make sure that the project is relevant to Northern elders. AVENS will develop management tools that deal with eligibility, admission, operations, management, and transition strategies for moving seniors through different types of housing. Looking towards the future, AVENS is seeking to increase the number of public and market housing units in the North by maximizing their campus in Yellowknife, targeting an end to seniors’ homelessness in the Northwest Territories.