After about a four month search, City of Sarnia staff have identified land the Women's Interval Home could use to build supportive housing.
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley tells Sarnia News Today a small portion of the northwest corner of Germain Park -- just to the north of the Strangway Community Centre off East Street -- is ideal.
"I would hope council would unanimously support that site," said Bradley. "It is close to the hospital, it's close to Northgate [Plaza], transit routes, it's got all the key things transitional housing needs."
Sarnia council endorsed the Women's Interval Home's request in September for a parcel of city land to be identified and donated.
"It might be tight for them to build there, but it's a good site," Bradley said. "They've looked at a number of other locations. There is a desperate need in this community for transitional housing for women who are leaving the Women's Interval Home to give them time and the opportunity to rearrange their lives and to move forward."
Bradley admits he usually objects when people propose building on parkland when there are other places to go.
"In this case, this is parkland that isn't really parkland. It is not useful for the city or for the community to use for parkland," he said.
Executive Director Jennifer Vansteenkiste has said the accommodations would be specific to helping women recover from intimate partner violence.
The project aims to establish 15-20 affordable residential apartments for low income single women and single mothers.
The building would feature spaces for staff and common areas for programming.
The Women's Interval Home is asking council to approve the property donation on Monday through a long-term land lease or severance.