Lakeshore, Chatham-Kent get more than $17M from federal housing fund

Lakeshore and Chatham-Kent should see around 500 new homes built over the next three years thanks to new money from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.

Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk announced Monday that Lakeshore will receive $7.4 million, and Chatham-Kent will receive slightly more than $10 million.

That money will spur the construction of an estimated 3,500 homes over 10 years, Kusmierczyk said.

"It takes a lot of courage to do something new," he said of the communities who received the funding.

"It takes a lot of guts and courage to partner. And this is exactly what it's going to take to build the homes that young people, seniors and working families can afford in our community."

Lakeshore had previously tried and failed to access funding through the program and had voted last August not to apply a second time.

Councillors were concerned about the eligibility criteria, under which applicant municipalities are expected to allow four units as of right.

But council changed its mind in December and amended its zoning bylaw.

"I think initially there may have been some fear amongst our residents and potentially council members as well," Mayor Tracey Bailey said.

"So we also had to do our homework and understand what high density means ... Do we have any controls in place to help us and guide us to where we grow and how we grow? And I think we, as a council, we as a community, understand now that we have controls in place."

Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff said the money for his community was a really good start, but it would need more money to grow.

"We've grown [by] over 7,000 people in the last few years in Chatham-Kent, and there's more people coming," he said.

"So we need the infrastructure in order for people to continue that trend."

Tecumseh received $4.4 million from the Housing Accelerator Fund during the first round of applications, Kusmierczyk said, bringing the total for the region to more than $20 million. 

Windsor, however, has not received funding, as council refuses to allow four units as of right.

Successful applications to the fund provide a gateway for municipalities to access more money through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, Kusmierczyk added.