Nearly $3 million in new funding is being directed toward an affordable housing project in Leamington as construction continues on a 50-unit tiny home community designed to serve people struggling to find housing. The federal and Ontario governments announced $2.92 million through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative on Friday to support the construction of 18 affordable housing units at The Bridge Youth Resource Centre at 310 Sherk Street. The 18 units are part of a larger 50-unit mixed-income development at the site. 12 of the units supported through the latest funding are designed to be accessible. Krista Rempel, executive director of The Bridge Youth Resource Centre, said construction has already begun, with some of the buildings completed. “We won’t finish the entire 18 units likely till the end of fall to the end of this year, depending on construction timelines,” Rempel said. The organization previously completed 12 homes as part of the project’s first phase, supported by $1.858 million in federal funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative announced in 2022. The Bridge is now working to build 38 additional homes, including the 18 supported through Friday’s funding announcement. Rempel said demand for affordable housing is already exceeding available capacity. “We’re already above and beyond our capacity when it comes to the program unit,” she said. “So, the need is great, the need is there.” The homes are intended to serve youth, adults, seniors, low-income workers and people facing addiction challenges. Residents will also have access to supports and community services managed through The Bridge. Rempel said the project is already helping provide housing to people who have struggled to find a safe and affordable place to live, including seniors who have found themselves unable to afford market rents. The new homes will be rentals, with affordable rates determined based on recommendations provided through the City of Windsor, according to Rempel. Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald said affordable housing and homelessness have become increasingly pressing challenges for municipalities across Essex County. “Affordable housing is difficult. Homelessness has reared its head in the county municipalities, and working together is the only way we can start to solve those challenges,” MacDonald said. She told CTV News that the project demonstrates how governments and community organizations can work together to address housing needs. “I think it’s definitely a model to replicate elsewhere,” MacDonald said. “Not even just in the municipality, but all across Ontario.” MacDonald said the model could serve a broad range of people, including seniors, single-parent families and young couples struggling in the current housing market. Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones also described the project as a potential template for other communities. “This is an example of collaboration with three levels of government and brilliant minds, both in the faith-based community and the community at large, to come together to create a template for something that can be used all around Ontario or anywhere else,” Jones said. He said the project is unique because of the range of people it is intended to serve and the combination of government, private donor and community support behind it. Matthew Rae, parliamentary assistant to Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing, said the province believes the program will help strengthen communities and support housing construction. “Together, the Municipality of Leamington and City of Windsor are taking action to create more affordable housing and support a growing community,” Rae said. “The Ontario government will continue supporting municipalities by providing the tools and critical housing-enabling investments needed to get more housing built across the province.” The $2.92 million announced Friday comes through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative, which supports the repair, regeneration, and expansion of community housing, as well as rental assistance programs. The announcement is part of a broader effort by the federal and provincial governments to increase the supply of affordable housing. With construction continuing, The Bridge expects the 18 units supported through the latest funding announcement to be completed by late fall or the end of the year.
