Windsor approves new affordable housing units

Windsor's new city hall in Windsor, Ont., June 26, 2018. (Chris Campbell / CTV Windsor)

Windsor will soon have more affordable housing units.

Council on Monday approved the construction of 150 units in the city's east end.

It's a $39-million project coordinated by the Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation.

CEO Jim Steele says the homes are desperately needed, as the waiting list has doubled in the last 12-to-18 months.

There are currently 45-hundred people on that list.

Steele says the new project will be a mixed income, multi-residential community, and it will be built in the 3100-block of Meadowbrook near Lauzon Parkway.

Steele says the new homes will focus on efficiency to help residents easily pay their utility bills, which he claims could be as low as $20 a month.

“That's how energy efficient these buildings are,” says Steele. “We're excited to do that because a lot of our tenants when they get a good rent and have to pay utilities you're still not any further ahead.”

“We're trying to make it not only a comfortable place to live but it has to be affordable,” adds Steele.

The city will finance $12-million of the project, while applying for $4-million from the province.

The rest of the funds will come from a CMHC grant and a CMHC mortgage.