A local farmhouse designated as housing for healthcare workers is set to begin providing accommodations this month.

As a community-fueled initiative, Township staff and volunteers poured time and effort into getting the house at 965 Gartshore St. ready. The Township began the process of designating the farmhouse's new use in late April.

Angela Stanley, president and CEO of the Wellington Healthcare Alliance, says the past few years have presented staffing challenges for Groves Memorial Community Hospital due to increased need. She believes Centre Wellington needs to parallel other communities in giving healthcare workers a great community experience as well as free and comfortable temporary housing.

Three people are penciled in to stay at the 1870s-constructed farmhouse in the month of June. Stanley says it will take a weight off their shoulders if the need to find a place to stay is eliminated.

"There's more work than people to do the work in healthcare right now, so communities are being creative as to how they're going to incentivize people to come," Stanley stated.

"One of the biggest things we've heard from our locums, our residents and our students is if we can take the burden off finding a place to stay in that time, that is a significant help," she said.

Mayor of Centre Wellington Shawn Watters toured the property Wednesday and said for youth doctors fresh off their degrees, this is an ideal development.

"A lot of times they're younger doctors and they have a lot of expenses coming out of school, so this provides an incentive to look at our community as a place to look at our community as a place to come and work, play and be a part of this community and have accommodations," Watters said.

Locums and other healthcare professionals will be able to stay at the property while doing local work; four residents will be permitted at once. The length of the stay, Stanley says, is different for each particular worker.

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