KENORA— Minister Greg Rickford MPP for Kenora Rainy-River, announced that the government will be investing in affordable housing for their community.
Kenora District Services Board will be provided with $3,780,000 which is aimed at the building of as many as 20 affordable units at 10, 12, and 14 Matheson Street South, in the City of Kenora. The units will be modular housing that include self-contained bachelor units and are targeted for completion in March 2023.
Rickford commented that, “As a government, we are committed to supporting service providers like KDSB with the tools they need to deliver meaningful resources that meet the needs of our most vulnerable.”
The location of this housing is such that it provides residents easy access to public transportation, schools, and amenities like grocery stores, pharmacies and employment opportunities.
Barry Baltessen, Board Chair of the Kenora District Services Board, reacted to this announcement by saying, “On behalf of the Kenora District Services Board, I want to thank the Honorable Minister Clark and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for recognizing and supporting the critical needs of our communities. We also want to thank the Honorable Minister Rickford for being a fierce champion of our communities. Today’s announcement will create up to 20 new affordable housing units that will better support individuals with good, safe, and stables homes. Projects like this will help address Kenora’s housing crisis and ensure that more people will have the opportunity to work, live well and find belonging in our communities.”
KDSB provided residents with a possible date for construction to begin, as they indicated that they will be awarding and approving the construction contract at a board meeting on May 19, 2022, "with shovels in the ground hopefully in the days following."
The government indicated that this important investment is being made possible, “through the Ontario government’s Social Services Relief Fund and is aimed at supporting people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.”
Minister Greg Rickford added that, “Today’s provincial investment will help the Kenora District Services Board in serving the needs of our most vulnerable and means more community members will have a safe affordable place to call home.”
“Our government’s Social Services Relief Fund is providing immediate housing and homelessness relief in communities across Ontario,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Supporting innovative solutions like these new accessible housing units in Kenora is critical as we work to keep our most vulnerable safe and housed, both during the pandemic and into the future.”
This government announcement, represents part of the province’s Social Services Relief Fund, which has provided over $1 billion of support throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to help municipalities and Indigenous partners develop long-term housing solutions for vulnerable Ontarians. This initiative is also part of the government’s Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy.
