Returning home: St. John’s Kitchen hopeful to find temporary home at St. John Church

It’s a homecoming of sorts for the St. John Kitchen.

This week, The Working Centre announced they will be soon breaking ground on a project that will see 44 transitional housing units.

The construction site, 97 Victoria Street Kitchener, is the current home of the St. John Kitchen.

An artist rendering of 97 Victoria Street shows what the interior of the Kitchen could look like when it is built. (The Working Centre)

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The current St. John’s Kitchen Space on the second floor will be converted into 22 units of transitional housing, making way for a new modern building for St. John’s Kitchen with a glass front exterior and solar panels on the roof.

“During the construction period, we will not be operating at 97 Victoria,” said Joe Mancini, Executive Director of The Working Centre.

Needing a temporary home, St. John Kitchen is going back to its original home, a few blocks away at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.

“Well, it's an easy option to start with because they used to be here almost 20 years ago, and so we know that there's some history there with the organizations.” Said Simon Guthrie, Churchwarden at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.

An artist rendering shows the design concept for the common area which includes the dining room. (The Working Centre)

The charitable kitchen was started at the church on Duke and Water Street in 1985.

Needing more space, the kitchen moved to 97 Victoria Street in 2006.

The church says they are happy to provide the space needed.

“St. John's Church has always had a heart for downtown Kitchener, and so we're concerned about the people who are around us and what those needs might be.” Said Preston Parsons, rector at St. John’s Church.

The church has a commercial grade kitchen and the ability to seat up to 200 people.

The artist rendering of 97 Victoria Street shows what the exterior of the building may look like once built. (The Working Centre)

Mancini says it’s a match made in heaven.

“They've also opened their hearts to let us in, and so we're just so grateful that that facility in downtown Kitchener was available.” Said Mancini.

The church says they still have a few more hurdles to clear before they can make the agreement official, and they are still looking for feedback from it’s members and community organizations.

Construction on the housing units on Victoria Street is expected to start this Fall.

On Monday, a ground breaking ceremony was held ahead of the official start to the construction.

According to The Working Centre, the expected targeted occupancy date is the fall or winter of 2024.

A full report of 97 Victoria Street can be found here.