When Réseau Compassion Network (RCN) wanted to gauge how well they had achieved the goals they set out for the creation of Les suites Marion, a mixed-income apartment building in St. Boniface, Denise Belanger, a specialist in evalutation at Inquiry Minded Consulting, was ready to take on the evaluation role, even if it took some creativity.
“There’s not been a lot of work done previously to look at evaluating different models for supportive housing,” she admits. “I would say that it’s new for me, and I do believe it’s newer on the Canadian landscape. But this whole project is different in the Canadian affordable housing landscape, too.”
Les suites Marion was designed with 48 suites, ranging from studios to three-bedroom units, and 20 of the suites are designated for the use of RCN network members Sara Riel, St.Amant and Abri Marguerite. These units were made available at rents geared to the income of those who would reside within them. The other suites are leased at market rates to the public.
“A purpose-build place to live where some individuals are in supportive housing and others are just in market-rate housing, that’s new,” she explains. “This is what we’re calling inclusive housing, and because it’s less common, there’s a lot to be learned from Les suites Marion.”
Belanger used parts of an existing framework to be able to measure the success of the project. “When we are figuring out how measure something like this, we can look at metrics that are already out there: safety, comfort, inclusion and respect, and satisfaction,” she continues. “Those are the starting points to understand if someone is feeling happy and included. We kept things simple in terms of the questions we asked, but that’s what we tried to understand.”
The reviews from those living in supportive housing were glowing. “There’s a woman living here who uses a walker,” shares Belanger. “She had to go up and down two flights of stairs to do her laundry; after walking to any stores or appointments she’d had in the day. The in-suite laundry along with access to a balcony in every unit, were high on the list of things that residents were grateful for. Even living in a pest-free space is a luxury for some of these folks. People who experience vulnerabilities are almost always living on a low income. They don’t always live in places that meet their needs or are safe, because they can’t afford to.”
Belanger was interested to hear what the market-rate tenants would have to say about their experience living in Les suites Marion. They were also invited to answer the same four short questions that residents in affordable housing were asked, and about half of the market-rate residents responded. “We started with the question: do you know that there are affordable and deeply affordable units in your building?” she shares. “They didn’t. Those residents are just neighbours to them, in a building with lots of types of people. They don’t realize there is a financial difference. I’d say that’s inclusion.”
One of the other major advantages that those living in the affordable suites valued was the chance to actively build community. Safety and belonging are lived every day in a building like Les suites Marion. “People like having like-people around them,” concludes Belanger. “To feel safe, we must have physical safety, but also emotional safety. An annual BBQ for residents, organized by Réseau Compassion Network, helped to further the relationships in the building and was appreciated by everyone. We have to be intentional about inclusion!”