St. Luke’s Place – Part II

by Lary Turner

As covered in Part 1, St. Like’s Place was unique and one of the first facilities of its kind in Canada. The new concept was a combination of living, recreational, health care and commercial facilities in a building of wings, spread out in an inviting setting.

A not-for-profit Volunteer Board was formed in 1972, incorporated in 1974 and construction began in November 1975. The Long Term Care Home, C-Wing senior apartments and an Elderly Persons Centre opened in September 1976. Other additions followed with a second senior apartment building (D-Wing) in 1983 and Long Term Care & Retirement Home (E-Wing) in 1986.

During the ensuing five decades, the Long Term Care Unit has grown to 114 beds, an occupancy rate of 99-99.5%, with a current waiting list of 311 people (2022) and growing. The unit requires upgrades as health care and government regulations have changed. The recent Covid-19 pandemic highlighted many deficiencies in long-term care homes and today, many current buildings and rooms do not meet the current standards; i.e., square footage, door widths, modern heating and cooling systems, accessibility insufficient investment in infrastructure over time and higher staffing levels & care.

Long Term Care is not retirement or independent senior living, it is 24/7 nursing, medical and holistic care. Residents have to apply, qualify and go through the Ontario application process to access Long Term Care. Applicants are assigned a case coordinator who places them when a bed becomes available in their choice of a number of homes.

 St. Luke’s Place Board recognized that now is the time to reinvest in the Long Term Care Unit, due to the strong demand as our population ages. As a non-profit, any surplus goes into services and operations, reinvestment in staffing levels and quality of care.

The St. Luke’s Place Redevelopment Project has been awarded and approved by the Ontario Ministry of Long Term Care for 165 newly constructed beds and the Board is exploring increasing that number to 192 (six 32-bed home areas). Land acquisition has been completed with the purchase of ¾ acre from St. Luke’s Church lands and preliminary architectural design work has been completed. The project will move forward with all 132 senior’s apartments remaining in place and with minimal disruption for the 172 residents. Project estimated cost is $68.2 million with a $48 million government commitment.

The next major steps forward in the redevelopment process will be final approval of the master design plan, engaging financing and cost consultants, continuing negotiations and work with the Ontario Ministry of Long Term Care and a Fundraising and Capital Campaign to support the Not-For-Profit Long Term Care Redevelopment Project.

 This Long Term Care facility is greatly needed for the care of the frail, elderly and marginalized in our community. Please consider making a personal donation to the St. Luke’s Foundation Capital Campaign in support of this redevelopment project!