a new renovation of a lowertown house is bringing neighbours together
4 minute read
mélissa thibault-cañas, eddy niyonkuru and matthew beutel of the lowertown community house.
jean levac
/
postmedia
for years, nearly every room inside the converted duplex at 145 beausoleil dr. was filled with food.
boxes stretched to the ceiling. volunteers would haul heavy bags of potatoes and other supplies up and down the basement stairs. even the bathroom became storage.
today, the house looks very different.
after years of operating largely as a food bank, the lowertown community house, operated by the lowertown community resource centre, has recently relaunched as a community hub after soaring demand for food assistance outgrew the tight space.
the food bank has now moved to the organization’s offices on cobourg street, allowing the house to undergo renovations and reopen for neighbourhood programming.
“when i started in my role here, this house was pretty much a food bank,” said mélissa thibault-cañas, the community house coordinator. “now it’s a place where people can actually come together again.”
the community house is a converted ottawa community housing duplex that has been set aside for neighbourhood programming. community houses exist across the city, serving as gathering spaces where organizations can offer services tailored to local needs.
today, the community house in lowertown has returned to that role.
the lowertown community house has many uses such as access to a kitchen, laundry room and computers for those who need to use them.
jean levac
/
postmedia
residents stop by to use the computers, prepare meals in the kitchen, do laundry, take part in workshops, help care for the community garden or simply connect with neighbours.
many of the people who use the community house live in nearby hotel shelter accommodations that aren’t equipped for long-term living, said lowertown community resource centre executive director matthew beutel. without kitchens or laundry facilities, many rely on microwave meals and even wash dishes in their hotel room bathtubs. he said the community house helps fill those gaps by providing a place to cook, do laundry and gather.
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on tuesday morning, there was a steady flow of people through the front door.
as residents arrived, thibault-cañas and staff member eddy niyonkuru greeted many by name. they knew who was coming to print paperwork, who had booked laundry time and who simply wanted to stop in for a conversation.
“we connect with the residents,” niyonkuru said. “they come here just to break their isolation because they want to talk to someone. especially during the winter.”
he said many visitors stay well beyond whatever service first brought them through the door.
“they spend like an hour just discussing issues,” he said.
the lowertown community house has many uses such as access to a kitchen, laundry room and computers. eddy niyonkuru is seen helping a community member on one of those computers.
jean levac
/
postmedia
lately, the house has even become an informal gathering place for fifa world cup matches, with residents watching games while waiting for laundry or using the computers.
“it’s a gathering point, a program and service point, and a place where folks in the community can come and feel welcome,” beutel said.
for lowertown resident ana matana, the community house is one of the places that has made ottawa feel like home.
originally from angola, matana has lived in canada for almost seven years and visits the house to use the kitchen, laundry facilities and computers.
“everyone is lovely and they treat me very well,” she said. “the house makes my life much easier.”
as the conversation turned to the fifa world cup, matana smiled.
“if canada played against angola, sorry i’d be on canada’s side,” she said. “it’s my home now.”
creating a place where residents like matana feel at home took years. after searching unsuccessfully for a larger home for the food bank, the organization eventually converted part of its offices inside the lowertown community centre into a distribution space.
the arrangement still isn’t ideal, beutel said, but it has allowed the community house to become a community space once again.
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support from various community partners helped pay for new flooring, a renovated kitchen and updated furniture.
the community house is just one part of the work the lowertown community resource centre does in the neighbourhood.
the organization provides services ranging from counselling and tax clinics to youth programming and food security initiatives. volunteers support many of the organization’s programs.
beutel said the organization works in one of ottawa’s most densely populated and economically challenged neighbourhoods, where food insecurity, mental health concerns and social isolation remain ongoing issues.
“we know our community,” beutel said. “everything that we do is absolutely free of charge.”
the organization also strives to offer services in residents’ first languages whenever possible.
“when someone is facing challenges or struggles, to be able to express yourself in your own language is key,” beutel said. “you feel heard and you feel welcome.”
thibault-cañas hopes the community house continues to expand its programming, although demand already exceeds capacity in some areas. the laundry service, for example, is booked months in advance.
“i’d love to do more programming,” she said. “we need more core funding.”
while the renovated house has already reopened, thibault-cañas said a more formal public relaunch is planned later this summer to celebrate the transformation and welcome more neighbours through the doors.
for now, she said, the biggest change is seeing the house being used the way it was always meant to be.
“it’s a place where people come together,” she said. “where they can break isolation and support one another which is really special.”
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