The governments of Canada and Ontario are committing more than $5.7 million to build 28 community housing units in Cobourg, providing homes for individuals and families across Northumberland County. All of the units will be affordable rent-geared-to-income housing.
The announcement of the funding, which took place on Thursday (July 23) at the proposed site for the Elgin Park redevelopment on Elgin Street East in Cobourg, was made by Spadina-Fort York MP Adam Vaughan, parliamentary secretary to Canada’s minister of families, children and social development and minster responsible for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, along with Ontario municipal affairs and housing minister Steve Clark.
Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini and Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Philip Lawrence also participated in the announcement.
“The Elgin Park redevelopment project is an important part of the solution to help build more homes that are truly affordable in Northumberland, something my community greatly needs and a project I strongly support,” Piccini said.
The Elgin Park redevelopment site currently hosts nine semi-detached buildings, with 18 community housing units. The new complex will have four two-storey buildings with a total of 40 units, creating 22 new homes.
“These new units are more than just safe and affordable places to live, they are key to a better life for the residents who call them home,” Vaughan said.
The redevelopment will include a shared green space with a playground and recreational area for families, as well us a common building with a large programming room, universal washroom, kitchenette, and office space for private meetings between tenants and staff or community agencies.
There will be a mix of multi-bedroom and one-bedroom units, with at least 20 per cent of the units accessible, and all other ground floor units will be designed to be easily retrofitted into fully accessible units if needed in the future.
The funding will be delivered through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative, which will fund 28 of the new units.
“Supporting the Elgin Park redevelopment project is one way our government is working to make our community housing system more efficient and sustainable, and to ensure that people can access the affordable housing and supports they need today, and in the years to come,” Clark said.
