Multi-million dollar investment for downtown housing and wellness hub

In the next few months, an affordable housing and wellness hub operated by Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) will start taking shape in downtown London, Ont.

Joan’s Place, named after community leader and former municipal and provincial politician Joan Smith, will be erected at the corner of York and Richmond streets.

“It will have a total of 39 units for youth and young mothers with children,” says Steve Cordes, CEO of Youth Opportunities Unlimited. “We will also have a wellness hub with community partners and supports from agencies like Canadian Mental Health Association, Fanshawe College and YOU.”

Cheyenne VanderWoude is a former YOU client who lived on the streets as a teenager. Now the mother of a young boy runs her own photography business called Cheyenne’s Creation.

“They helped me out so much,” says VanderWoude. “This new facility is going to help young moms so much because all of the resources will be in one spot.”

Recently the City of London invested $4 million in the project — this is on top of the $10.4 million raised for the capital campaign by the community.

With construction already underway, Joan’s Place is expected to be up and running by 2024.

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