THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board has approved plans to double the size of an apartment complex it intends to build on the corner of Algoma Street and Cornwall Avenue.
At its board meeting on Thursday, the DSSAB committed $1.1 million to 12 new affordable housing units, which will be added to 12 whose funding has already been secured.
The apartment building will stand on the former Roots To Harvest urban garden site.
“Those 24 units are targeted to what we call non-senior single individuals. They will be single bedroom units,” said DSSAB CAO Bill Bradica.
Bradica added non-senior singles make up 600 of the district’s 800-person housing wait list.
The province approved the funds in June and had only the summer to decide which project would be a priority. The contribution agreement must be signed by the end of December and construction must begin 120 days after that.
“It was a pretty quick turnaround that was required,” Bradica said.
“However, luckily, we did have a list of potential projects to draw from. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to commit those funds that quickly.”
Thursday’s decision brings the board-approved total to 32 units in 2016, including four units in both Nipigon and Kakabeka Falls.
The DSSAB has also received $3.4 million in social housing improvement program funds, which it will use to make capital repairs on the district’s 4,300 existing social housing units.
