THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay’s city council has approved half a million dollars’ worth of grants intended to give a crucial boost to supportive and affordable housing projects.
The funding awarded Monday includes $225,000 to support retrofitting and renovations at Matawa’s Education & Care Centre, and another $100,000 to support a cultural room and other renovations at its Training & Wellness Centre. The project’s total cost is around $4.2 million, and Matawa has also secured funding from Indigenous Services Canada, the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, and the Canadian Welding Bureau Foundation.
Matawa also received funding through the DSSAB and provincial and federal governments for the project. That project meets a clear need, said city policy and research analyst Melanie Davis, noting DSSAB waitlist statistics indicate over a quarter of applicants for subsidized and supportive housing are over the age of 50.