Windsor-Essex getting $170M in region's largest affordable housing investment - Action News
Home WebMail Saturday, November 23, 2024, 01:52 AM | Calgary | -11.7°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Windsor

Windsor-Essex getting $170M in region's largest affordable housing investment

Windsor-Essex is receiving $170 million in federal and municipal funding to upgrade affordable housing units. 4,700 apartment units will receive repairs and renovations to improve the quality of 730 buildings in the region. 12,000 tenants will see the benefits of upgrades to the interiors and exteriors of their units.

Funding from federal, municipal governments will repair 4,700 affordable homes

A man wearing a suit delivering a speech in front of a podium.
Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen announces a $170-million affordable housing upgrade package in Windsor. (Darrin Di Carlo/CBC)

Windsor-Essex is receiving its largest investmentin affordable housing ever, according to officials, with$170 million in federal and municipal funding earmarked for upgrades toexistinghousing units.

Under a plan announced Thursday, 4,700 apartment units will receive repairs and renovations to improve the quality of 730 buildings in the region. About 12,000 tenants will see the benefits of upgrades to the interiors and exteriors of their units.

Ahmed Hussen, Canada's minister of housing and diversity and inclusion, made the announcement outside Fontainebleau Towers, one of the buildings that will receive the upgrades.

"Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home," said Hussen. "Today's announcement, through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, is helping support vulnerable populations with a home that meets their needs and provides them with the resources to thrive."

Hussen made the announcement alongside WindsorTecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara, and theinterim CEO at the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation (CHC), Michelle Coulis.

A middle aged woman looking to the right answering a reporter's questions.
Mary McIntyre is a resident of Fontainebleau Towers in Windsor. She wants to see repairs completed inside and outside her unit. (Darrin Di Carlo/CBC)

Of the $170 total, $90 millionis coming from the federal government, with the City of Windsor pitching in $76.4 million. The remaining $3.6 million is coming from the CHC through capital.

"With these dollars, we can invest in our homes and communities to improve the quality of life of our residents," said Coulis. "We are truly hopeful that this will help lead to an increased sense of pride and, in turn, build the foundations for healthy, engaged and vibrant communities."

Fontainebleau Towers residents were present at the announcement, and one seemed pleased with the announcement given that her kitchen cupboards need to be re-done.

"They're original to the apartment, and they're falling apart," said resident Mary McIntyre. "I get gorilla glue and I glue them back together. It's good until their glue dries out again."

McIntyre also would like to see upgrades to common areas, especially the smelly carpets.

Five people holding a purple sign that says more affordable housing.
(L-R): Michelle Coulis, Interim CEO and Director of Corporate Services at the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation (CHC), Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara, Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen and Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk. They announced that $170 million will be invested in affordable housing in the Windsor-Essex region. (TJ Dhir/CBC)

All repairs are scheduled to be completed in 2029. Coulis explained why all the upgrades could not be finished in a shorter amount of time.

"In terms of our planning work and our pre-planning work, there's only so many resources in terms of people that we can dedicate," she said. "We want to make sure that we've got, spread over a certain period of time, enough resources to make projects run smoothly. What we've seen during COVID is that there's supply shortages; there's work shortages. So we don't want to put too much into a three-year span that we can't meet those targets."

With files from TJ Dhir and Darrin Di Carlo