Wheatley residents with properties in the evacuation zone of a gas explosion late last summer received some good news from the province on Friday.
Wheatley residents who were evacuated late last summer when an explosion devastated a chunk of the downtown received some good news Friday from the province.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced an extension of the housing assistance program to the end of the year for those affected by the evacuation order.
Residents had heard during a virtual community meeting in early February they likely wouldn’t be able to return to their homes until at least mid-May. The assistance program provided by the province, however, was set to expire on March 31.
During that meeting, a provincial official couldn’t immediately confirm if that assistance program would be extended.
Details provided on Friday state the program has been extended until Dec. 31.
Applicants may receive up to $4,000 per month for additional rental housing costs while unable to live in their homes in Wheatley from September 2021 through to this December.
The maximum amount for additional housing costs was increased from $28,000 to $64,000 over the entire evacuation period.
Insurance payments for the repair or replacement of property will not be deducted from payments for addition housing assistance. However, insurance payments for additional living expenses will continue to be deducted from payments for additional housing expenses.
The announcement is welcome news, said April Rietdyk, Chatham-Kent’s general manager of community human services, in a media release.
“The uncertainty of accommodations has understandably been a cause of great anxiety for residents,” she said. “This program will provide some stability in terms of residents’ ability to have accommodation costs covered.”
Rietdyk said those participating in the program are being contacted by the province and urged residents to continue to work with the case workers who have been helping with their claims.
On Aug. 26, 2021, following the discovery of earlier leaks, toxic gas detectors raised an afternoon alarm that gave municipal staff and emergency crews enough time to evacuate the area before a blast destroyed two downtown buildings about 90 minutes later. Twenty people suffered injuries from the explosion.
Since the August blast, gas has been detected about a half-dozen times in the cordoned-off area.