Suswin House

Rooted in the heart of downtown, Suswin Village provides a safe, accessible and dignified housing solution for North Bay’s Indigenous homeless. Meaning ‘nest’ in Ojibway, Suswin Village offers its residents a warm, welcoming and home-like environment. The three-story structure consists of thirty self-contained 1-bedroom units complete with washroom (six units of which are barrier-free), large Common Room and Meeting Room, fully equipped commercial-quality kitchen, residential and commercial-grade laundry facilities and supporting administrative and reception areas.

The design incorporates best-practice sustainable design strategies, practices and systems, including the incorporation of natural ventilation, durable cladding materials, highly insulated exterior wall and roof assemblies, energy-efficient triple glazed window units, LED lighting complete with occupancy sensors and sensor-activated, low-flow plumbing fixtures. Suswin Village also benefits from downtown North Bay’s first, on-site vertical geothermal well field bed complete with heat pump units to provide building heating and cooling. Outside, LEA’s landscape work incorporates drought-tolerant, native trees and plantings and a large communal firepit with flagstone surround for residents and staff to gather.