Affordable housing units open on Huron Avenue
Affordable rent and secure access are two things you can find at the newly opened supportive housing development on Huron Avenue.
Dozens of people attended Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services’ open houses, which ran from June 18 to 19, for the new apartment buildings operated by the organization.
“We’ve had over 100 people show up in the last two days for applications and looking for housing,” said Crystal Powless, property manager with OAHS.
The Huron Avenue project incudes two 12-unit apartment buildings operated by OAHS. Construction began with nearly $4 million from the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative in 2023 and another $4.8 million through the Affordable Housing Fund in 2024.
Rent for each one-bedroom unit is $843 per month plus utilities, Powless said.
“We ask for an income of around $31,500 annually to be able to ensure that they can afford the units comfortably,” she said.
The open house was a chance for people to view the apartments and get help with application process.
“We have one-bedroom units here, two buildings, with seven barrier-free units and the rest are normal units,” Powless said.
“They come with a heat pump for air conditioning and heat services; there’s a laundry facility opportunity if they were to get a washer and dryer.”
The fridge and stove are supplied in addition to the building being fully secured, she said.
“Tenants feel safe and secure when they’re living here,” she said.
The apartments are open to First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, Powless said.
“We prioritize our Indigenous and First Nations community members who are looking for affordable and safe housing,” she said.
“However, with our applications for a lot of our properties across Ontario, we accept applications from everybody.”
Having so many people attend the open house was amazing, Powless said.
“I’m actually quite in awe. It definitely shows and showcases the need in the Thunder Bay area for housing, with the influx that we had,” she said.
“When we pulled in the parking lot yesterday at 11:45 a.m., there were over 20 people in the parking lot waiting. So, that just showed it’s needed.”
Applications are ongoing, and more information can be found on their website.
“We encourage all applicants to try and do an online application,” she said.
“If they do have struggles, they can definitely give a call to our housing services department and speak to somebody over the phone that can hopefully help them or link them with somebody in the area that can help them complete an application.” – tbnewswatch.com
article website here
After reading dozens of articles over the past year or two, it has become obvious that housing can only be made ‘affordable’ if the taxpayer heavily subsidizes the project.
It might be time to just make housing a federal/provincial/municipal responsibility. Create a crown corporation to construct housing. You know, like they did back in the days of the USSR?
Everyone gets assigned a place to live. Rent is cheap. All buildings are owned by the government.
Its basically what is happening now, except for the ownership. Looks to me like those ‘Commies’ had it right all along.
previous related posts here