Lambton County council backs plans for new affordable housing

Lambton County council endorsed a plan Wednesday to pursue affordable and supportive housing projects at five potential sites and set a goal of opening the first one within 18 months.

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Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley called the 18-month goal he proposed “a rapid response to what is a crisis.”

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The community, like many others, has seen an increase in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness, including some sleeping in tents in city parks instead of additional temporary shelter beds the county opened this winter.

Council voted to purse federal and provincial funding for each of the five projects at sites identified by county staff and reviewed by Flourish, a consulting company created by Ontario supportive housing provider Indwell, as it created the plan that could see 490 affordable housing units created, including 300 supportive housing units.

Supportive housing combines affordable apartments with services, such as health care, mental health support and addictions counseling, to help residents maintain housing.

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The sites in the county plan include a parking lot on Victoria Street the city offered for housing that Flourish said could become the site of two buildings with a total of 267 units, while still leaving room for some parking.

Flourish president Graham Cubitt said the total plan could cost an estimated $143 million to construct, with about $62 million split between loans and the county contribution.

The county currently has about $2 million available in an affordable housing reserve.

The municipal contribution for the projects will be a “catalyst” to convince the provincial and federal governments to provide funding, he said. There can also be a role for donations from the community, he said.

“There is a will to do something and contribute,” Cubitt said.

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The Sarnia Community Foundation created a fund in 2023 accepting contributions for affordable and supportive housing.

As well as federal and provincial funding to build the new units, provincial funding will be needed for the supportive services.

Wednesday’s decision was “the result of the last few months working with the people from Indwell and Flourish,” said Warden Kevin Marriott.

“It’s a great step and I really believe it’s going to result in more affordable housing in the county,” he said.

“Some say it’s not fast enough but it’s a lot faster than the response we’re getting from the upper levels of government,” he said. “We need those two upper levels to come to the table in order for us to move faster.”

He said the county already has been talking with provincial officials about funding for supportive housing services.

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Valerie Colasanti, the county’s general manager of social services, said county staff will look at the five potential sites in the plan to determine which is the best candidate to develop within council’s 18-month target.

As well as the two buildings proposed for the Victoria Street parking lot, the list includes county-owned land on Kathleen Avenue, two other unnamed Sarnia sites and vacant land on Ontario Street in Wyoming.

“It’s complicated, but it’s very feasible,” Cubitt said about developing affordable and supportive housing. “The key piece is the tenacity to put together the business plan and the constant advocacy, particularly for those higher levels of government funding.”

Facing a shortage of affordable and supportive housing, and the rising number of people experiencing homelessness, county council in July declared providing affordable housing and shelter its No. 1 priority.

Recently, the county awarded “seed funding” of up to $200,000 each to five other community-based groups that also are pursuing affordable housing projects. The money is aimed at helping pay for feasibility studies, surveys, planning fees, environmental assessments and other steps needed to launch projects.

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