Construction begins for new wellness centre in Edmonton
Posted May 23, 2025 11:46 am.
The City of Edmonton says a former bus loop in central Edmonton will be transformed into affordable housing.
The Jasper Place Wellness Centre officially broke ground Friday and will become a new location to provide a path to healing and stability for hospital patients experiencing homelessness.
“This is truly a community effort to help house more people experiencing houselessness in our city. These initiatives give me hope, because this is about everyone across our community — the private sector, the non-profit sector and multiple orders of government — working together to make Edmonton more compassionate and equitable. That’s how we build an Edmonton for all of us,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
Once completed, there will be 24 private suites for individuals who have been discharged from hospitals and who have no permanent home.
“After a crisis, it’s beautiful to see guests have a soft landing pad where they can lock their doors, rest, shower and take the next steps on their healing journeys,” said Taylor Soroka, co-founder, Jasper Place Wellness Centre.
The Jasper Wellness Centre will be similar to facilities already open in Glenwood, which offer housing and allow individuals a way to complete various personal goals like acquiring identification, gaining life skills, and securing permanent housing.
“This is a bold and innovative program that will help some of our city’s most vulnerable residents,” said Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, an emergency room physician who helped develop the “Bridge Healing” model. “Now we have to continue working hard on perfecting the model so it meets every patient’s needs. Then, Bridge Healing can be scaled up and spread throughout Alberta and Canada.”
The land where the wellness centre will be was purchased for $1 in 2024. The sale also included a grant of up to $900,000, as part of the City’s Housing Accelerator Fund action to scale up affordable housing.
