Ehrlo Housing is proud to unveil the completion of its first refurbished apartment at Lakeshore Village.

Ehrlo Housing operates as part of Ranch Ehrlo’s community services and works to provide affordable housing to low-income families, individuals with enduring mental health conditions, and young people transitioning from care. Ehrlo Housing owns and manages three properties within the city of Regina, one being the 44-unit Lakeshore Village apartment complex in south Regina.

Earlier this year, Ehrlo Housing established a plan to renovate and upgrade the aging Lakeshore Village apartments in response to changes in the local rental market. To support this initiative, a dedicated team spent the past several months inspecting and documenting the condition of all units at Lakeshore Village, surveyed tenants, and applied for preliminary funds from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to conduct a building condition assessment and energy audit.

“Armed with all kinds of information, and a unit in need of new life, we set our sights on completing a prototype that we could learn from,” explained Shelley Sayer, director of Ehrlo Housing. “Renovating inside aging buildings can often reveal surprises, and we found a few but nothing that stopped our maintenance team – they were on a mission.”

The walls were patched, repaired, and painted; the floors were refinished; trim, doors, and door frames were replaced; and an entirely new kitchen and bathroom were installed. The refurbished unit will serve as a model for future apartment renovations at the property. 

A new tenant moved into the renovated unit on June 7^th and was delighted with its condition.

“It’s beautiful,” they exclaimed, “thank you so much!”

The goal to create a safe and comfortable space for families and individuals to live in reflects Ranch Ehrlo’s model of CARE which prioritizes ecologically oriented programs and services to promote a sense of safety and foster healing.

“It’s really important that our families can be proud of where they live,” said Shelley. “We know how the environment can influence people’s outlook on life and we understand that people sometimes go through tough times in their life and need a helping hand.”

“We want people to feel they’re welcome here and that we care about their living environments too because we want families to feel safe, secure, and happy in their homes,” she continued.

The remaining 43 apartments at Lakeshore Village require and will receive various upgrades, proving no shortage of work for the dedicated housing team. While federal funding applications are currently in the works and may come with contingent timelines, Shelley said the hope is to have the project completed within approximately two years’ time.

Lakeshore Village, built in 1958, is the eldest of three properties managed by Ehrlo Housing; McEwen Manor welcomed its first tenants in 2012 and Chaz Court in 2014.