Feds give Windsor $22M for Meadowbrook affordable housing units

The City of Windsor is getting more than $22 million for its affordable housing project at 3100 Meadowbrook Lane, which will have 76 affordable rental homes out of 145 units.

The funds are coming from the federal government as part of the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, which also gives out money for repairing existing affordable homes across the country. The City of Windsor will be putting in $12 million for this project.

In the 10-storey building on Meadowbrook, 12 of the 76 units are dedicated to survivors fleeing domestic violence and four units for nine people are dedicatedto people with developmental disabilities.

The remaining 69 homes will be available to people at market rental rates.

Mayor Drew Dilkens said there are about 5,000 people on a waiting list in Windsor for subsidized housing. The city supports what he calls a "mixed income housing development approach" in a news release.

"This provides a more financially viable and community-minded development that offers housing to people that are diverse in incomes, abilities, ages and supports," he said.

In the new building, 46 units will be accessible and have features like ceiling tracking, bed lifts and more to help people live independently. Not only that, the building boasts "a 55 per cent reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared to other developments of a similar size."

"It's a good piece of community building, and that's why it's so easy to support cities, because cities don't waste money," said Adam Vaughan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.

He said the National Housing Strategy started more than a year ago, and Windsor was one of the cities that were "lined up and ready to go" to receive those supports.

The Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation will own the building. CHC currently provides 4,707 homes to more than 12,000 people in Windsor-Essex.

Construction for the project is expected to end in December 2020.