The Vision SoHo Alliance is a group of six local non-profit organizations convened by London Community Foundation that is working together to build the single largest affordable housing development in London, Ontario’s history.

This partnership is the first-of-its-kind in Canada. By coming together to purchase the former Victoria Hospital lands site in London’s SoHo neighbourhood, the Alliance is helping to address the shortage of affordable housing in the city by collaborating on a mixed-income development that will enhance the SoHo neighbourhood and honour the heritage of the area. Building environmentally friendly, attractive, and well-managed buildings, the Vision SoHo Alliance will create a safe and accessible community, and foster a sense of belonging among residents.

Affordable housing in the City of London is becoming increasingly unattainable. Low vacancy rates and rising rental prices mean there is an urgent need for more affordable housing in our community. The Vision SoHo Alliance will work alongside the City of London towards its plan of building 3,000 new affordable homes by 2026, helping expedite progress toward creating an increased supply of affordable housing for those who need it most.

Safe, secure and affordable housing is a human right, and a crucial foundation for succeeding and thriving. Without decent housing, it is nearly impossible to deal with life’s challenges, such as illness, mental health and addictions, and feeding ourselves and our families.

Affordable housing in the City of London is becoming increasingly unattainable. Low vacancy rates and rising rental prices mean there is an urgent need for more affordable housing in our community. The Vision SoHo Alliance will work alongside the City of London towards its plan of building 3,000 new affordable homes by 2026, helping expedite progress toward creating an increased supply of affordable housing for those who need it most.

Having safe, secure and affordable housing is the foundation to building a successful life. Until people have decent housing, it is almost impossible for them to successfully deal with other issues in their lives, be that responding to the special needs of their children or dealing with mental health or addiction issues.

Our buildings will be designed for a range of people: single adults, roommates, couples and small families, and seniors. Some of the developers design their units to serve specific groups of people. For example, Chelsea SoHo’s building will target seniors, families, and individuals with physical and/or mental impairments, and Indwell offers supportive housing. We intend to create an inclusive community that welcomes all.

Construction at the Vision SoHo site has started! The goal is to have all buildings complete and ready for tenants by October 2027. Some individual buildings may be ready for tenants sooner than that.

Each of the six developers will manage their own rental intake. As the construction proceeds and building opening approaches, each organization will post their application process on their website. At this time, we are not taking applications for tenancy.

In Canada, housing is considered “affordable” if it costs less than 30% of a household’s before-tax income. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) defines affordable housing as rental housing that is at or below 80% of the median market rent in a community. Most affordable housing projects have some units set aside for persons that require even deeper assistance and for persons with special needs who require supports.

The affordable housing units within this development will range between about 65-80% of Average Market Rent (AMR), according to CMHC.

According to London Community Foundation’s recent 2024 Vital Signs report, over 7,000 households are on London's subsidized housing wait list.

London had challenges with homelessness and a lack of affordable housing prior to the pandemic, but COVID-19 has exacerbated this issue, disproportionately impacting our most vulnerable.

The City of London's Housing Stability Aciton Plan states that 3,000 units of affordable housing are needed to truly tackle our City's housing problems, and in his 2021 State of the City Address, Mayor Ed Holder challenged the community to achieve this goal in 5 years.

We plan to build mixed-income housing in this community, which means the developments will include units that range in affordability with some at market rate and others at affordable rates.

Research has demonstrated that mixed income housing is one of the most effective methods of creating affordable housing in communities in a way that does not lead to residential segregation or marginalization of the residents.

This project prioritizes pedestrian safety and foot travel. Mid-block walkways have been added in accordance with the requirements of the Old Victoria Hospital Lands Secondary Plan.

All the new construction buildings will have underground parking. There will be some surface parking in the interior of the main block (which is contained by Waterloo, Hill, Colborne, and South Streets) and across the street at 124 Colborne Street. All garbage pick-up and services will be provided for in the alley that is interior to the main block site.

Traffic in and out of the main block will be limited to two entrances, one on Colborne Street and one on Waterloo Street. Residenza Affordable Housing at 124 Colborne Street will have vehicular traffic access on Colborne Street and on South Street.

Yes, Residenza Affordable Housing intends to have some commercial space on this ground floor, as market conditions and interest from commercial tenants warrant. The other buildings will be all residential.

Indwell plans to open the auditorium in the Health Services Building to some community and public use; this is still being explored.

The City of London will create a park at the corner of South and Colborne Streets, in front of the War Memorial Children’s building.

Indwell has extensive experience restoring heritage buildings in a way that honors its past while bringing it into a new future. Together with their architecture team and heritage consultants, Indwell will work with the City of London to preserve the War Memorial and Health Services buildings with the primary focus of the restoration on the exteriors and the auditorium space in the Health Services building. Indwell has committed to applying for heritage designation status before starting construction on the residential portion of the buildings.

The Old Victoria Hospital is an important part of London’s history. We are excited to celebrate the heritage of this space through signage, art, and interactive displays. We will seek participation from the community as we plan the heritage recognition.

Each of the developers will manage the revenue generation for their own project. Significant funding is being sought from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and provincial sources. London Community Foundation will provide low interest loans to help us through the construction process. Some organizations will seek donations from the community through individuals, businesses, and foundations.

To advance this project, the members of the alliance provided $60,000 in start-up funding that was matched by London Community Foundation. In addition, LCF provided a $100,000 security deposit for the $2 million purchase of the property (conditional on due diligence completion and group purchase) - otherwise returned.

Members of the Alliance are eligible to receive financing from LCF’s Social Impact Fund for additional development related costs. This is an area the Foundation is experienced in, having loaned $21M to 20 affordable housing projects, contributing to the construction of over 600 affordable housing units in London.

Safe, secure and affordable housing is a human right, and a crucial foundation for succeeding and thriving. Data on the quality of life in London and Middlesex County, published on our Vital Signs Data Hub, shows that housing is one of the most pressing challenges people face.

• In 2021, the rental vacancy rate in London was just 1.7%. A healthly vacancy rate is around 3%. (Vital Signs, 2022)

• Between 2019 and 2022, the average rent for a 1-bedroom unit increased by 22.7% in London, compared to 14.6% across Canada (CMHC, 2023)

• 10.3% of Londoners are living in housing that isn’t suitable, adequate, or affordable by CMHC’s definitions. (Statistics Canada, 2022)

With the assistance of Libro Credit Union and Lerners law firm in vetting proposals, the Foundation’s social impact loan program has contributed to the creation of 600 affordable housing units, with 700 more in the planning stages.