The Owen Sound community is celebrating millions of dollars in federal and provincial funding for affordable housing.
Representatives from all levels of government gathered at Odawa heights in Owen Sound for the funding announcement Friday (Jan 17) that promises a total of $6.2 million for the third phase of the project.
That money will build an apartment complex that could have as many as 54 units in it. A minimum of 43 of those units will be affordable housing.
Grey County and The Owen Sound Housing Company had been struggling to find a way to pay for the remaining phases of the Odawa Heights project after funding that had been flowing over the past few years, was reduced.
The County was told it was to receive under $500,000 in 2019 for the project.
The County and the Owen Sound Housing Company refused to halt plans for the project and County staff managed to move some other housing money around from some smaller existing programs to cobble together about $1.5 million for Odawa Heights.
The County also approached MPP Bill Walker to see if he could appeal to the province for more money on behalf of the community.
As it turned out, both levels of government came through at the end of the year, with leftover money in the Canada Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) account as well as Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) coffers.
“Our plans suddenly are much broader than when we thought we had $500,000.” says Owen Sound Housing Company Chair Ruth Lovell Stanners.
The hope is to begin construction in May 2020. At least 20 per cent of the units will be accessible, others will be 'aging in place' appropriate
The rental vacancy in the county was 1.9 per cent in 2019. Grey County's affordable housing wait list has over 700 people on it. It's not clear how many of those people are local because being local is not required to be on the list.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and MP for Spadina-Fort York Adam Vaughan travelled to Owen Sound for the announcement. Local MPP Bill Walker, MP Alex Ruff, Mayor Ian Boddy and Grey County Warden Paul McQueen were on hand for the event, alongside Grey County staff and members of the non-profit Owen Sound Housing Company.