Region of Durham commits $10.25 million toward affordable rental housing

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham is committing $10.25 million in funding through the At Home Incentive Program to support the development of three affordable rental housing projects.

Ledim Developments will receive $5 million to build 78 affordable units in the Town of Ajax, and Kindred Works will receive $2.75 million to construct 25 affordable units in the Township of Uxbridge. The Region of Durham will also provide $2.5 million to Otter Creek Co-operative Homes Inc to support the completion of an 18-unit affordable, low-rise apartment building.

Ledim Developments is planning to construct 78 units of affordable rental housing within a 25-storey building located at 310 Kingston Road East, Ajax. This project will provide a range of rental housing options in a transit-oriented development. Nearly half of all units in this building are designed to accommodate people using mobility devices, such as a wheelchair.

Kindred Works plans to build 25 units of affordable rental housing within two six-storey buildings located at 15-23 Main Street North, Uxbridge. This redevelopment will take place at the Trinity United Church site. For this redevelopment, 20 per cent of the units would be barrier-free, and it will also provide rental opportunities to groups who have historically been denied access, including Indigenous Peoples, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, recent immigrants and persons with disabilities. This is the second proposal from Kindred Works that received approval for AHIP funding; Kindred Works received funding in 2023 for a project in Pickering.

In addition to the $7.75 million in funding for these projects, the Region of Durham will provide $2.5 million to Otter Creek Co-operative Homes Inc. This funding will support the completion of an 18-unit affordable, low-rise apartment building for seniors and supportive units for people with developmental disabilities, people with mental illness, and people with substance use issues. This project, located at 835 McQuay Boulevard in the Town of Whitby, originally received federal and provincial funding in 2022; the additional funding became necessary to address the increase in construction costs.

For information about the At Home Incentive Program, visit durham.ca/AHIP.

Quotes

There is an urgent need for affordable rental housing, and this $10.25 million commitment through the At Home Incentive Program will provide quality affordable rental housing to Durham Region residents. The Region of Durham is committed to working with private and public sector partners to create more affordable rental housing, helping to improve housing choice, affordability and sustainability in our community.”

-  John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Region of Durham.

Quick facts:

• The At Home Incentive Program (AHIP) encourages the development of new affordable rental housing through funding and expedited planning approvals.
• The AHIP supports construction of new purpose-built affordable rental housing for low-income households, including households on the Durham Access to Social Housing wait list, and to grow the supply of safe, adequate and affordable rental housing.
• To be eligible for the AHIP, projects must provide a minimum of five affordable housing units and include one of the following: new construction; conversion of non-residential buildings to rental housing; addition of new affordable buildings/units to existing sites/buildings; and community housing redevelopment that increases the supply of affordable housing units.
• This is the second year of the At Home Incentive Program; the first call for applications in 2022 led to a $7.45 million commitment to support two affordable housing projects in the City of Oshawa and City of Pickering.

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