Supportive affordable planned for a site on George Street in Sarnia

Article content

A 50-unit affordable supportive housing apartment building, aimed at easing homelessness in Lambton County, has been proposed for vacant land next to an ambulance station on George Street in Sarnia.

Article content

The land was donated by the county as part of its partnership with the charity, Indwell, to develop supportive housing with on-site services to help individuals struggling with addiction, mental health and other challenges to maintaining housing.

Article content

Recommended Videos

Article content

“It’s terribly necessary,” said John DeGroot, a member of a group of local Rotary Club members who have been working in recent years to see new affordable and supportive housing built in Sarnia.

“The total ideal would be that we didn’t have any homelessness issues, addiction issues, mental illness, but we do,” he said. “I’m just thrilled that we’re finally addressing it. I hope we’re going to move forward quickly.”

The George Street project would be the first supportive housing project by the county and Indwell partnership in the Sarnia area. Indwell operates supportive housing in seven other Ontario communities, including St. Thomas and London.

Article content

Currently, the George Street project is proposed to be five floors but that could change by the time the concept is finalized, said Melisa Johnson, the county’s manager of housing services.

Next steps will be working through the final concept design and planning approvals with the city, said Graham Cubitt, president of Flourish, a company connected to Indwell, which provided county council with an update Wednesday.

The county and Indwell entered the partnership in 2024 to see 150 to 300 units of supportive housing created locally in response to an increase in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in the Sarnia area.

The land donated by the county on George Street already has municipal services and there are other multi-residential buildings in the neighbourhood, Cubitt said.

Article content

The county said in a news release Indwell will host community consultation and information sessions in the coming weeks.

“It’s a great opportunity to put the right project on the right site and then work closely with the county on what’s needed for the actual people who are going to move in,” Cubitt said.

Those services could include social workers, nurses, addiction and mental health counsellors, as well as housing support workers, the county said.

“It’s nothing but positive,” said Warden Kevin Marriott. “Everything will improve the situation.”

Cubitt said the cost estimate for the George Street project hasn’t been finalized, but federal and provincial funding is expected to be required, along with the county’s contribution and possible fundraising.

Article content

“Indications are that we’ll be able to bring a significant amount of federal investment locally to bear here,” he said.

“The optimal timeframe would be that we would be under construction sometime before the end of the year but that takes everybody working together in the same direction,” Cubitt said.

“We cannot continue to ignore, or try to push away, issues that we have with folks that are living rough,” said Sarnia Coun. Chrissy McRoberts. “This is the best way to do it, to actually have hands-on and true wraparound services.”

But McRoberts said she has heard concerns from residents in the George Street neighbourhood which is already home to a shelter run by River City Vineyard.

Indwell said it will continue to explore other affordable and supportive housing options for Lambton, including the former St. Bartholomew’s Church property on Cathcart Boulevard the county purchased recently.

Construction also has begun on a three-storey, 50-apartment, affordable housing project for the county on former parkland on Kathleen Avenue in Sarnia. It’s expected to be ready for residents to move in by fall 2026, the county said.

pmorden@postmedia.com

Article content