Village on Irvine
Building Pathways Home
A two-year healing community taking root on 54 acres of farm and forest on the banks of Irvine Creek
A Healing & Skills Development Community
The Village on Irvine is two-year skills-building and recovery program for adults exiting homelessness and substance use. Set on a beautiful, 54-acre rural property in Elora, participants will live surrounded by nature to continue their healing journeys, build community, and develop hands-on and relevant work skills through trades programs and social enterprises.
At the end of the program, participants will have the necessary work experience and support needed to seek employment, gain financial stability, and live independently.
The program has four parts:
The Land
Fifty-four acres of farmland and forest on the banks of the Irvine Creek: a place far from street life, where participants can reimagine the world and their place in it.
23-acre nature reserve
Ponds, streams, & Irvine Creek
54 acres include market gardens, fields, and spaces to walk
Pathways twist and turn throughout the site's forests, fields, and streams
Flowing through the north end of the property, Irvine Creek faces therapy spaces on site
54 acres include market gardens, fields, and spaces to walk
Employment Training
A full workshop for carpentry and furniture repair, a garage for mechanics, classrooms, and social enterprises across the farm. Participants learn agriculture & skilled trades, building a path out of poverty and towards a stable future.
Skilled trades pathways
Direct-to-employment
Further education (pre-licensing)
Learning from the land through farming and market gardens
Classrooms and education spaces for skilled trades
Carpentry and woodworking shops support our social enterprises
Learning from the land through farming and market gardens
Healing & Wellness
Spaces to access nature, therapeutic supports, and to be held by the beauty and calm of the countryside in Wellington County.
24/7 mental health supports
Therapeutic community
Zero substance/alcohol use
Holding space in the beauty and calm of the countryside in Wellington County
On-site medical spaces, and 24/7 mental health supports provide whole-self care
Holding space in the beauty and calm of the countryside in Wellington County
Home
A converted stone century home opens into private rooms, creating the foundation of safety and belonging that healing requires. From this stability, participants can step into meaningful work, financial security, and transition to a home of their own.
30+ private beds
Communal kitchen & dining
Kitchen and dining spaces for residents to prepare and share meals as a collective
Airy living quarters with natural light
30+ quiet bedrooms with shared washrooms
Kitchen and dining spaces for residents to prepare and share meals as a collective
A new era
of recovery
“A community of people with lived experience take better care of each other… they know what it’s like.”
As participants forge a life beyond addiction, the Village on Irvine will become a living example of hope – supporting healing and building a new pathway for addictions treatment.
Why this matters
For people trapped in the cycle of unstable housing and substance use, there are very few pathways back to employment, housing, and stability. Shelters are at capacity, the waitlist for addictions treatment is long, and even if someone can access a space in a treatment program and get sober, they are often discharged back into the same unsafe environments they were in before.
This post-treatment gap allows people who are trying to build a new future to fall back into the trap of poverty & substance use they have been trying to escape for years.
We sat with people living in the cycle of addiction and poverty and asked them: what three things would you want from a post-rehab community? They told us they want to:
Live outside the city, away from the drug culture
Have meaningful training & prepare for employment
Welcome the pets who supported us
Why this place
6681 Irvine Street has a long history as a place of healing.
For nearly 40 years, the property at 6681 Irvine St. was home to Portage Ontario. Portage supported young people providing an opportunity to heal, finish their education, and build a new life.
When we first visited this place, we could see the strength of the land, the practical uses it had been built for, and the ways we could support healing journeys here.
Why us
The Working Centre has spent over 40 years as part of the social fabric of Kitchener-Waterloo. Our projects create access to tools for those without work, those without housing and the most vulnerable – a web of community building. We build hospitable, welcoming places where people find belonging, practical supports and ways to contribute.
Village on Irvine has found its home at this purpose-built space in Wellington County, demonstrating a viable model that breaks the cycle of people facing addiction and homelessness as they build a new life for themselves.
How people access the program
Are you someone who:
has completed an addictions treatment program for a minimum of 28 days
agrees to the rules of the site (kindness, safety, participation, bravery, abstinence)
will create a personal recovery plan with staff
will engage in the daily programming of this project (a rigorous schedule)
By actively choosing to move into a substance-free community, you choose the pathway that builds your skills, confidence, and stability.
Frequently-Asked Questions
How quickly will this project start?
We expect the project to begin operating in 9 – 12 months. This property was a youth addictions therapeutic program for 40 years so most of the major infrastructure is already in place. That said, the facilities are in need of refurbishment and light cosmetic upgrades. While these fixes are proceeding we are engaged in program and curriculum development. When renovations are completed we will be ready to staff up and start inviting people into this new healing community - likely in early 2027.
Will people pay to be here?
Participants will contribute a small monthly amount to help cover program costs. They will not pay out-of-pocket, but will be asked to transfer the ‘rental’ portion of their social assistance payment to the program. This is a very low amount (approx. 390-600/month) and only covers a small portion of the budget. This fee supports this transitional housing model and ensures participants know they are contributing what they can in housing allowance while also participating in the regular tasks of day-to-day operations.
How many people will live here at a time?
We are aiming to start with a capacity of 30 participants. As the program grows and becomes a model for federal recognition, we hope to increase our capacity.
What if someone starts using drugs on site?
Relapse is often a part of recovery, and we understand how difficult the path of sobriety can be. That said, we are committed to creating a drug-free environment for participants. If someone begins using again, they will have leave the community and undergo some form of treatment before they are welcomed back. Drugs and/or alcohol are not allowed in this community.
Can I get involved?
Of course! If you’d like to support this project as a donor or a volunteer, please share your information below and we’ll be in touch.
Where will people come from when they move into the site?
People will be referred by existing health and mental health and addiction teams. As people hear about this experience, they will strategically plan to align the end of their treatment program with the chance to come to Village on Irvine.
How long do you envision people stay here?
People will stay for up to 2 years, with the first year being focused on healing and skills development, and the second year focused on work skills and transition planning.
What will people do each day?
Every day, participants will have a highly structured combination of mandatory and optional activities in which they can participate. These will be informed by the experiences of other communities, so people build skills and form a strong sense of community together.
Is there a spiritual side to Village on Irvine?
All healing involves a spiritual element. At Village on Irvine, we will build on the healing properties of the land, on people’s traditional faith experiences, and on the ritual that comes with community activities, like walks, campfires, music, work and shared living. Healing involves body, mind and spirit.
Can I speak to someone about this project?
Absolutely! If you want to speak to a member of our project team, please fill out the form below and a member of our team will be in touch.
Contact us
Speak with a member of our team at 226-962-7001, email us at tonys@theworkingcentre.org, or use the form below and we'll get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.