When Kadin Osborne was thinking about buying a house in Calgary's Brentwood area, his mother tried to talk him out of it.
He was, after all, looking at 11 Butler Crescent N.W., where five university students were stabbed to death in April.
But Osborne, who bought the house for well below its asking price, sees it as more than a financial opportunity; it's also a chance to help a community recover from a traumatic incident, CBC News reported.
Osborne, 23, lives in the house with four other men who all met each other through Calgary's Centre Street Church.
All of them plan to live there for a long time, and all want to bring life back to the home, said Metro News.
"I think we've done that to an extent, just having a presence of life there," Osborne told the newspaper.
"There's laughter back in the house, and life, and love."
His roommates include plumber Greg Vanderwielen, a recent arrival to Calgary from Hinton, and ex-U.S. Marine Nathan Masson, who had been living at the Salvation Army when he heard about what Osborne was up to.
"You know there's a lot of people who don't realize what we're trying to do here," Masson told CBC News. "We get called crazy, or whatever, but we're doing something that a lot of people are too afraid to do."
Speaking to the Calgary Sun last September, Osborne said he wasn't sure precisely how he might help the community, but added he'd be happy to meet and talk with anyone who came by.
"Maybe I'll have a pot of coffee on," he told the newspaper.
Longtime neighbourhood resident Doug Jones told Metro he was glad to see people living there.
"We're just happy that it's over and we can move on," he said.
Kaitlin Perras, Joshua Hunter, Lawrence Hong, Zackariah Rathwell and Jordan Segura where killed at the home during a house party to celebrate the final day of classes at the University of Calgary.
Matthew de Grood has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbings.
He has undergone a psychiatric assessment to decide whether he can be found criminally responsible if he's convicted. The review remains under a publication ban.
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He was, after all, looking at 11 Butler Crescent N.W., where five university students were stabbed to death in April.
But Osborne, who bought the house for well below its asking price, sees it as more than a financial opportunity; it's also a chance to help a community recover from a traumatic incident, CBC News reported.
Osborne, 23, lives in the house with four other men who all met each other through Calgary's Centre Street Church.
All of them plan to live there for a long time, and all want to bring life back to the home, said Metro News.
"I think we've done that to an extent, just having a presence of life there," Osborne told the newspaper.
"There's laughter back in the house, and life, and love."
His roommates include plumber Greg Vanderwielen, a recent arrival to Calgary from Hinton, and ex-U.S. Marine Nathan Masson, who had been living at the Salvation Army when he heard about what Osborne was up to.
"You know there's a lot of people who don't realize what we're trying to do here," Masson told CBC News. "We get called crazy, or whatever, but we're doing something that a lot of people are too afraid to do."
Speaking to the Calgary Sun last September, Osborne said he wasn't sure precisely how he might help the community, but added he'd be happy to meet and talk with anyone who came by.
"Maybe I'll have a pot of coffee on," he told the newspaper.
Longtime neighbourhood resident Doug Jones told Metro he was glad to see people living there.
"We're just happy that it's over and we can move on," he said.
Kaitlin Perras, Joshua Hunter, Lawrence Hong, Zackariah Rathwell and Jordan Segura where killed at the home during a house party to celebrate the final day of classes at the University of Calgary.
Matthew de Grood has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbings.
He has undergone a psychiatric assessment to decide whether he can be found criminally responsible if he's convicted. The review remains under a publication ban.
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