The Lowertown Community House at 145 Beausoleil Dr. has reopened as a neighbourhood gathering space after serving as a food bank storehouse for years. The duplex, operated by the Lowertown Community Resource Centre, now offers a kitchen, laundry facilities, computers, and workshops for residents.
From food bank to community hub
For years, nearly every room inside the converted duplex was filled with food. Boxes stretched to the ceiling, volunteers hauled heavy bags of potatoes and other supplies up and down the basement stairs, and even the bathroom became storage. Soaring demand for food assistance eventually outgrew the tight space, prompting the food bank to move to the organization’s offices on Cobourg Street. This allowed the house to undergo renovations and relaunch as a community hub.
“When I started in my role here, this house was pretty much a food bank,” said Mélissa Thibault-Cañas, the Community House coordinator. “Now it’s a place where people can actually come together again.”
Services and amenities
The Community House is a converted Ottawa Community Housing duplex set aside for neighbourhood programming. Community houses exist across the city, serving as gathering spaces where organizations can offer services tailored to local needs. Today, residents stop by to use the computers, prepare meals in the kitchen, do laundry, take part in workshops, help care for the community garden, or simply connect with neighbours.
Many of the people who use the Community House live in nearby hotel shelter accommodations that aren’t equipped for long-term living, said Lowertown Community Resource Centre executive director Matthew Beutel. Without kitchens or laundry facilities, many rely on microwave meals and even wash dishes in their hotel room bathtubs. He said the Community House helps fill those gaps by providing a place to cook, do laundry, and gather.
Building connections
On a recent Tuesday morning, there was a steady flow of people through the front door. As residents arrived, Thibault-Cañas and staff member Eddy Niyonkuru greeted many by name. They knew who was coming to print paperwork, who had booked laundry time, and who simply wanted to stop in for a conversation.
“We connect with the residents,” Niyonkuru said. “They come here just to break their isolation because they want to talk to someone. Especially during the winter.” He noted that many visitors stay well beyond whatever service first brought them through the door. “They spend like an hour just discussing issues,” he said.
Informal gathering place
Lately, the house has even become an informal gathering place for FIFA World Cup matches, with residents watching games while waiting for laundry or using the computers. “It’s a gathering point, a program and service point, and a place where folks in the community can come and feel welcome,” Beutel said.
For Lowertown resident Ana Matana, originally from Angola, the Community House is one of the places that has made Ottawa feel like home. She has lived in Canada for almost seven years and visits the house to use the kitchen, laundry facilities, and computers.
