The units will rent for some of the most affordable rates in the entire country. Pictured is a concept rendering of the first-of-its-kind development. Photo credit: Montgomery Sisam
CityHousing Hamilton, Hamilton’s city-run social housing provider, is currently constructing a number of residential units that will rank among the most affordable in all of Canada.
A three-storey, 24-unit modular residential complex is currently in the works for 253 King William Street. The property is near King William Street’s Wellington Street North intersection. It will be situated between a church and a complex of homes, part of which is presently a parking lot.
The highest priority individuals, such as those at risk of domestic abuse and those who have been living on the streets, will be housed in the complex. These units, dubbed “deeply affordable,” would allow the most vulnerable to rent units for as little as $85 a month based on income.
In Hamilton, over 5,000 people are currently on a waitlist for affordable housing.
In addition to the rental prices being unique, the construction process is the first of its kind for a Hamilton residential building.
Modular units will be pre-manufactured in a factory setting before being brought to the site. The units will then be joined and stacked after which final details will be added.
CityHousing is working in partnership with Toronto-based company Montgomery Sisam Architects and the units are expected to be ready in June 2023. Construction on the units began in November 2021.
Each unit will be approximately 30-square-meters and will feature a washroom, kitchen, and a small living room.
The building is also designed to regulate its own temperature, reducing energy costs by 90 per cent.
The ground floor will be dedicated to shared amenities including a community room, meeting room, lounge, and laundry facility.
The project will cost approximately $6.4 million. A federal government grant, pledged in January 2022, will help pay for the project.
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on social media. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton Neighbourhood Watch crime updates and no-nonsense news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa and later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts. He also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston and formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. He is currently employed as an Office Administrator at RE/MAX Escarpment. His journalistic work is independent of his other positions.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
