Information about 65 Delhi Street

County of Wellington Housing Services project planning processes 

In our role as Service Manager the County of Wellington works on an ongoing basis to explore opportunities within our community to prevent and respond to homelessness. This work is undertaken collaboratively with a variety of local stakeholders including municipal partners; Indigenous organizations; health and human service organizations and operators of homeless serving system (e.g., Wyndham House; Welcome In Drop In Centre that operates Loyola House pilot and Grace Gardens). 

The County of Wellington and the organizations that make up the Homeless serving system are knowledgeable about the needs of those experiencing and/or at risk of homelessness in Guelph-Wellington.  As a community, we work to integrate the experience and voices of individuals who experience homelessness into our local planning processes as well as provincial and national initiatives to prevent and respond to homelessness.

From a built form perspective, the County of Wellington Housing Services remains committed to high standards of service and is working with local experts including engineers, architects and planning consultants to review and revise potential layout within the building to ensure effective design layout.

Informed by lived experiences and working in partnership with community-based health and human service professionals and Indigenous organizations we hope to design services and supports that address emerging needs and create staffing models and intake processes to ensure high quality service and supports are available to meet the needs of our diverse community.

An application to amend the zoning by-law was submitted to the City of Guelph by MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson Planning Limited (MHBC Planning) on behalf of the County of Wellington in April 2021.

The application and supporting material demonstrates that the proposal conforms with the City of Guelph Official Plan Policies and is consistent with relevant provincial legislation. For additional details, please refer to the April 2021 Planning and Justification Report. 

Under the Planning Act, the process to amend a zoning by-law requires that at least one public meeting is held and that the public be notified of the proposed changes. A virtual public meeting was held on May 10, 2021 with the purpose of sharing information about the proposal and to consider public comments regarding the development application which can be reviewed by staff and applicants. 

City of Guelph Council will make a decision on the zoning by-law amendment at a future Council meeting. 

The updates are organized by planning comments raised at the May 10, 2021 City of Guelph Council Meeting. 

• Multiple uses for 65 Delhi Street that were proposed in the application  (i.e., emergency shelter and transitional housing and child care).

The requested daycare use will be removed from the Zoning By-law Amendment application. The intent is to use the property at 65 Delhi only for transitional housing with supports.

• Status and function of the greenspace located on the property. The greenspace refers to the area in front of the building and adjacent to backyards of some residents who live on Delhi Street.

The proposal does not include plans to alter the greenspace to the south of the building. The intent is that this space can be used by the patrons of the housing project.

As part of the re-zoning application, planners could include a provision in the zoning to ensure this area is maintained as open space.

We are committed to working with neighbourhood residents and project partners to address questions and concerns about the greenspace.

• Status of parkland adjacent to the property. The parkland refers to the area behind (north) of the building and parking lot. The parkland area is adjacent to backyards of some residents who live on Glenhill Place.

The parkland area is owned by the City of Guelph. There are no plans to change the parkland area as part of the by-law amendment application.

• Status of the existing parking.

The existing 41 parking spaces will be maintained. The existing parking agreements with the hospital will also be maintained. It is anticipated that there will be more than sufficient parking for the proposed use.

The proposed transitional housing with supports would include use of existing parking for a minimum of 3 staff on site at any given time. Additional staff and support workers providing care and support services visiting the site during the day would also use existing parking. It is not expected that a large number of residents would require use of parking facilities.

In accordance with the Housing Services Act 2011, the County of Wellington is responsible for developing, implementing and reporting on a 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan (HHP). Service Managers are required to:

• develop HHPs in consultation with community and community partners
• ensure that HHP objectives and priorities align with matters of provincial interest as defined in the Housing Services Act (2011) and with 2016 Provincial Policy Statement Directions.
• take actions and carry out measures to meet objectives and targets related to local housing needs 

The first HHP for Guelph-Wellington was developed in 2014 and then updated in 2018.

A PLACE TO CALL HOME: A 10-year Housing and Homelessness Plan for Guelph-Wellington combines local data with input from the community to set objectives and priorities for housing and homelessness services that address local needs in Guelph-Wellington. The analysis shows that there is not enough affordable housing in Guelph-Wellington; and we know that there are individuals from all walks of life who are or have experienced homelessness in our community. 

The updated HHP identifies 8 objectives that guide County of Wellington Housing Services work.

OBJECTIVE 1: To help low-income households close the gap between their incomes and housing expenses.
OBJECTIVE 2: To provide a range of housing stability supports to assist with housing retention and  homelessness prevention.

OBJECTIVE 3: To offer a comprehensive range of supportive housing options for residents with complex needs due to aging, disabilities, mental health issues and addictions.

OBJECTIVE 4: To increase the supply and mix of affordable housing options for low- to moderate income

households.

OBJECTIVE 5: To end chronic homelessness

OBJECTIVE 6: To promote client-centred, coordinated access to the housing and homelessness system. 

OBJECTIVE 7: To support the sustainability of the existing social and affordable housing stock.

OBJECTIVE 8: To foster access to culturally appropriate housing and homelessness services for

Indigenous peoples.

The County prepares Annual Reports to share with the province and our community.