Food bank in North Sydney converting part of former school into housing for seniors - Action News
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Nova Scotia

Food bank in North Sydney converting part of former school into housing for seniors

Construction is due to start next month on a housing project for seniors in North Sydney. The local food bank is converting part of a former elementary school into 19 affordable rental units.

Wing of old elementary school will be converted to 19 affordable rental units

Stacy Ellis is general manager of the North Sydney Food bank at the former Seton Elementary School, where one wing of the building will be converted into 19 affordable housing units for seniors.
Stacy Ellis is general manager of the North Sydney Food bank at the former Seton Elementary School, where one wing of the building will be converted into 19 affordable housing units for seniors. (Holly Conners/CBC)

Anorganization in North Sydney, N.S., that works to feed people in needis now also working to houseseniors in the community.

The North Sydney Food Bank purchased the former Seton Elementary School in 2020, and has since moved into part of the building.

Next month, work will start to convert a wing of former classrooms into 19 housing units for seniors.

"We have a lot of older clients that are seniors that were constantly telling us about the need for housing," said Stacy Ellis, thefood bank's general manager.

Stacy Ellis shows off the construction plans.
Ellis shows off construction plans for the units. (Holly Conners/CBC)

The majority of the project's $4-million cost is being paid for through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The plan is to build two two-bedroom units, 16 one-bedroom units,and one bachelor unit for a full-time maintenance worker.

Rent for the units will range from around$800 to$900 per month, Ellis said.

Interest in the community is running high.

"Everybody's very excited about the project," she said. "We've had lots of phone calls. We've had many, many drive-bys."

The former Seton Elementary, now called the Seton Community Complex, houses the North Sydney Food Bank, a youth program, and soon this wing of the building will be repurposed as affordable housing for seniors.
Soon this wing of the former Seton Elementary, now called the Seton Community Complex, will be repurposed as affordable housing for seniors. (Holly Conners/CBC)

Coun.Earlene MacMullinsaid she started getting calls from people wanting to get on a waitlist asword of the project spread in the community.

"The cry for seniors' housing is continuous," said MacMullin.

"I'm talking numerous calls a weekfrom seniors that are staying with family because they currently don't have a place to go, to seniors that are trying to move from a larger place to find an apartment or something like that."

MacMullin also said she's hearing from seniors "that are in housing that is just in really, really bad shape and are really trying to get somewhere else."

The food bank will start accepting applications for the new units in July.

The goal is to have people living in them by late December.