COVID-19 Grants: Indwell

COVID-19 Grants: Indwell

Indwell is a Christian charity based out of Hamilton dedicated to creating affordable housing communities that support people seeking health, wellness and belonging. Expanding their operation to London with Woodfield Gate apartments in 2019 and recently breaking ground on a new affordable housing development on Dundas Street that will also host their London regional office, Indwell has quickly become a leader in London’s affordable housing space.

What makes Indwell unique is their supportive housing model – it also means they are far more hands-on than a traditional housing agency would normally be. Because of this, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on their support services.

“We had to examine how we could change the way that we support our tenants to adhere to the physical distancing and sanitation protocols,” says Julie Ryan, Community Engagement Coordinator at Indwell. “We stopped serving meals in our Common Room and began delivering them to people’s apartments. We started phoning our tenants to check in with them, and adapted our meeting spaces to maintain safe distance for face-to-face meetings.”

Thanks to a $12,400 grant from the LCF COVID-19 Response Fund, Indwell was not only able to purchase additional cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE), but iPads for their residents to borrow and connect with doctors, psychologist, and their families. Support from the broader community has also been a ray of hope and comfort.

“We’re heartened by the level of support we’ve received from the community. We received so much positive response from sewers to make PPE gowns that we had all we needed in less than a week!” says Julie. “It feels good to know that London is behind us.”

While COVID-19 has created many new problems for our community to solve, it has also exacerbated and highlighted issues we have been facing for years.

“The pandemic has laid bare the inequities in our system. How can you stay home if you don’t have a home? We can and must do better to prevent homelessness in the first place,” says Julie. “For our community members experiencing homelessness now, we must create permanent sustainable housing that supports people as they seek to rebuild their lives.”

Indwell has broken ground on a new 72 unit building in London, at Dundas and English Street, and are actively looking for a third project in the city. If you’d like to learn more about their plans for London and their approach toward supporting tenants, please contact Julie Ryan at jryan@indwell.ca or 519-285-1390 x384, or visit their website.