By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Housing in Chatham-Kent recently received a $10-million boost from the federal government.
Part of the Canada’s Housing Accelerator Fund, the disbursement will go towards fuelling housing starts to help remedy C-K’s growing housing crisis.
The $17-million announcement was made by Windsor-Tecumseh Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk to Lakeshore mayor Tracey Bailey and Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff, and is welcome news. Lakeshore is getting $7 million.
Canniff said persistence paid off.
“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work by our staff and the federal government,” Canniff told The Voice following the announcement. “It’s going to help a lot of projects move forward to help solve the problem of affordable housing.”
C-K’s funding was approved in the second round of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation administered initiative. Chatham-Kent was unsuccessful in the first round in 2023.
As part of the agreement, the municipality must commit to a housing supply growth target that increases the number of building permits by 10 per cent or better over a three-year period.
According to Ray Harper, Chatham-Kent’s director of municipal housing development, the funding is timely as the number of local people experiencing homelessness “exploded” last year with more than 1,400 people on the wait list for affordable housing.
“We’ve never seen numbers this high…ever,” Harper said.
The new federal funding will be used across a broad range of initiatives, Harper explained. These include allowing four-storey builds as additional dwelling units; the establishment of an online building-permit and land-use-planning activity dashboard; incentives; identifying high priority sites; creating an e-permit online system; conducting a housing needs assessment; and the development of an affordable housing strategy.
“We have a number of efforts underway,” Harper said, noting the money will help with completing projects as well as spur new initiatives.
Some of Chatham-Kent’s work on housing is coming to fruition, Harper said, with two projects expected to be ready for occupancy in March. These include a 17-unit affordable housing project at 36 McGeorge St. in Blenheim, as well as a 22-unit affordable housing (rent supplemented) complex at 9 George St. in Ridgetown.
Stalled work on a 27-unit modular housing build for seniors at 101 McNaughton Ave. West in Chatham has also resumed, Harper said, after the original company failed to deliver and another company had to be found. Jayden Construction has taken over, he added, with workers currently examining the half-finished structure’s safety.
The same company has also been contracted to complete the $3.8-million 50-unit tiny cabin shelter complex on Hyslop Street in Chatham, Harper explained.
The site is currently being prepared with a completion expected in June.
