$5M from anonymous donor to fund 115 'badly needed' supportive housing units

CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 3:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 37 minutes ago

A section non-profit enactment volition tally 115 caller highly supportive and affordable lodging units successful London acknowledgment to $5 cardinal from a money created by an anonymous donation to the metropolis in 2023.

The Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley (CMHA Thames Valley) volition usage the money to build two new flat buildings in antithetic parts of the city. 

One, astatine 248-254 Hill St. in SoHo, volition person 33 1 chamber units. The other, astatine 644-646 Huron St., volition see 27 studio, 28 1 bedroom, and 27 2 chamber units, according to CMHA Thames Valley.

"[These units are] perfectly important due to the fact that we cognize that not each affordable lodging is supportive. With supportive housing you person supports embedded successful the building," said Dean Astolfi, CMHA Thames Valley's VP of supportive lodging and programme development.

Supportive lodging is designed to supply residents with services that, depending connected the development, range from onsite attraction that includes intelligence health, addiction and nursing services, to meals, activities and different and lodging stableness supports.

The announcement sees London inch closer to reaching a extremity to person 600 caller highly supportive units, bringing the tally to 406 units either open, oregon planned.

The wealth to marque it hap is being shelled retired by the London Community Foundation, which drew the funds from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change that started successful January 2023 with a $25 cardinal anonymous donation for homelessness and addictions support.

Since its creation, millions much person been donated to the money by Londoners and matched by the archetypal donor. So far, the metropolis says $17.4 cardinal has been spent connected assorted initiatives.

"It feels similar a large endorsement of the enactment that needs to beryllium done, and I'm precise pleased to [receive it]," Astolfi said of the investment.

With operation acceptable to statesman this fall, the caller four-storey gathering at 248-254 Hill St. is expected to unfastened by the autumn of 2026. Construction connected the seven-storey gathering at 644-646 Huron St. is acceptable to statesman successful aboriginal 2026, with occupancy planned for wintertime 2027.