What is now a multi-unit community service offering specialized low-income housing to vulnerable groups in the city of Regina began with the purchase of a four-building apartment complex in south Regina, now known as Lakeshore Village, in 1997.

But the ball was rolling long before that. In 1995, Ranch Ehrlo Society was approached by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to discuss the possibility of assuming the mortgage on the complex. A few years later Ehrlo Housing was created.

The philosophy

lakeshore Lakeshore courtyard

The building was owned by a joint action co-operative, and simply put, they had run out of money. By the time Ranch Ehrlo inherited the property, most of the suites needed to be fully renovated.

“For two years, we worked with Saskatchewan Housing Corporation and with the city of Regina to get grants to do renovations,” Helen recalled.

Once the appropriate funds had been secured, the physical work could be done. Helen worked with Linda Dundas, formerly an employee of the co-op, and two other employees of Ranch Ehrlo to completely renovate all the available suites.

“It was a blessing when Ehrlo Housing took over (the complex),” Linda said. “It was so much easier than when I was working with Joint Action Co-op.”

Other projects
Once Lakeshore Village was established, Ehrlo Housing was invited by SaskHousing to participate in several other projects. The Neighbourhood Home Ownership Project, the Grow Home, and the National Healthy Home Demonstration Project were all unique but had a similar vision: to help low-income families into their own homes, rather than being stuck in an endless loop of renting. While none of the projects remain in effect today, each of the clients involved developed and maintained successes in terms of housing.

“We really believed that by providing safe, affordable, quality housing that you could really strengthen families,” Helen said. “I know that we made a difference to some people’s lives.”

A place for mothers

Chaz Court Chaz Court

Chaz Court, eight small pocket-suites for youth and young adults who had aged out of care but still required support, was built in 2013.

“Chaz Court was built with youth in mind,” Shelley explained. “We knew that kids were leaving care and had no place to go, and there wasn’t a whole lot of landlords willing to rent to a young person who doesn’t have any rental references.”

Since it’s opening in 2014, Chaz Court has maintained its successes, oftentimes having a waitlist due to demand.

Balance
As landlords now managing 100 units in Regina, we have learned that our ongoing partnerships and collaborative efforts with the community and other like-minded organizations are so very important to the success of our tenants.  We value these relationships and will continue to work to connect our tenants with the community they live in.

“One of the things that keeps me motivated and excited is that relationship that we’ve developed with other service organizations,” Shelley said. “We’ve been able to identify where those good supports are within the community and what people and organizations we need to remain connected to and stay connected with in order to provide the best possible outcome for our tenants.”