Hamilton’s east end will soon be home to a multi-million dollar Indigenous-led health-care centre set to offer multiple health-care services, along with some housing.

It’s an idea that is 10 years in the making, transforming the former St. Helen’s Catholic Elementary School into a new Indigenous-led health-care centre.

“It means a place of well being, we’ve always envisioned and it means we can serve more and we can do more. We can bring more people together, that’s what it means for me-it’s such a community and that’s the heart of it all.” said Bryanne Smart of De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre.

The new facility is set to provide health, family, social and housing services to both Indigenous people people living in the city and non-Indigenous residents in the surrounding neighbourhoods.

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The building will be 34,000 square feet and will house a mix of traditional Indigenous medicines alongside western medical practices.

“There will be primary care, which is nursing, physicians, diabetic services. We have cultural traditional medicine, and we have elders on staff. So it’s a blend and people can choose.” said Pat Mandy of De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre.

The former school is currently serving the Indigenous community, but this new $13 million project is set to take its place.

Federal Minister Filomena Tassi made the announcement Monday morning from inside the former school.

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It’s a model that Tassi says can be duplicated across the country.

“It is going to be amazing, for this community and I think really-be a project that can be taken across the country with these partnerships, like care-housing and child care,” said the minister.

Demolition of the building is expected to begin in the following months, with the goal of opening the new centre in the next three to five years.