A new housing development in West Nipissing will use repurposed shipping containers to create housing for people who are at risk of becoming homeless.
The West Nipissing Housing Development is an initiative of the Ontario Aboriginal Housing Support Services Corp., a non-profit organization with a mandate to provide safe and affordable housing to urban and rural First Nation, Inuit and Métis people living off-reserve in Ontario.
On June 26, Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré announced the federal government would provide more than $2.16 million for the project.
Of that, $1.67 million will come from the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, while the remaining $490,000 will flow through the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund, which includes a $371,250 contribution and a $118,750 interest-free loan.
“We are proud to be a supporter of this innovative project,” Serré said in a news release. “The West Nipissing Housing Development will help some of the most vulnerable in our community by providing a safe place to call home for those who are at risk of homelessness.”
The province has contributed $900,000 to the project through the Indigenous Supportive Housing Program.
When completed, the West Nipissing Housing Development will provide 14 new affordable homes meant for those who identify as Indigenous and are at risk of homelessness.
The affordable homes will have zero energy consumption, and three of the units will be fully accessible.
“Affordable housing is in high demand throughout the region and Northern Ontario,” West Nipissing Mayor Joanne Savage said in the release.
“This housing project is a partnership of all stakeholders. West Nipissing is always receptive to partnerships that contribute to our social economic needs.”
The Municipality of West Nipissing comprises a group of amalgamated communities located west of North Bay.
