Ontario spending more than $9M for new transitional housing in Thunder Bay

More transitional housing coming to Thunder Bay

4 months ago

Duration 1:35

The province is spending more than $9 million to support the creation of 52 transitional housing units in the city. The CBC's Sarah Law attended the announcement on Friday, led by Ontario's Minister of Muncipal Affairs and Housing, to learn what these units will mean to the community.

Ontario is providing more than $9 million to four Thunder Bay organizations for the construction of 52 new transitional housing units in the city.

The funding, which is coming through Ontario's Homelessness Prevention Program, was announced Friday morning, and will go to the following projects:

• $714,000 to the Elizabeth Fry Society, which will create nine transitional housing units in a purchased and renovated home;
• $1.3 million for Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services to build four one-bedroom units in the organization's Huron Avenue affordable housing development;
• Just over $3 million for Northern Linkage Community Housing and Support Services, which will use the money to create 22 new units in a purchased and renovated building, with 24/7 supports from St. Joseph's Care Group, and
• Nearly $4.2 million for Shelter House Thunder Bay, to develop 17 new units in a purchased building, with health support from NorWest Community Health Centres.

"These announcements can only happen because of other people's hard work," said Paul Calandra, the provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "Frankly, we get the easy part, coming to announce what we're going to do with your money."

"It's all of you who have done all of the hard work," Calandra said.

Supportive, low-barrier housing projects

Bill Bradica, the CEO of theDistrict of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Boardsaid the new transitional housing units will be "very beneficial" to the city.

"I think the majority would be considered low-barrier, and what's great about about them is that there are supports on-site and partnerships with health organizations to provide the care to people that they need," he said. "It's a validation of what they've been saying to us for many years, that these are the types of services and the type of housing that's needed to assist people."

"Some people are ready to live in a community housing environment and an independent environment," Bradica said. "Othersaren't there yet, and could benefit from living in a transitional environment for months, maybe even years, with supports to help them get ready to to live independently."

He said the projects are all in various states of completion. The Elizabeth Fry units are operating, while the remainder are either under construction, or will be under construction soon.

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Kevin Holland, who made the announcement, said it "feels absolutely great" to see the funding come through.

"This is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the [TBDSSAB] board over a number of years, and having a government to recognize that the challenges that we're facing here are different than the other parts of the province," he said. "We need the local solutions to address the local problems."