BARRIE, ONT. -- The Ontario government announced $6.2 million in funding to provide safe and affordable housing for Indigenous people in Orillia.
Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services, in partnership with the Métis Nation of Ontario, will acquire two apartment buildings on Elgin Street.
The 27-unit buildings were created using repurposed shipping containers.
"Make no mistake, they are fairly small homes, but boy, are they well equipped and well laid out, and I could certainly see myself living in one of these spaces. They were quite well-appointed," said Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke.
The three-storey apartment buildings will have a mix of one and two-bedroom units.
Simcoe North MPP and Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues Jill Dunlop said affordable housing is important during the pandemic. "In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 and the new variants, we need to provide vulnerable people immediate access to housing, so they can stay home and stay safe."
The government is providing $465,800 to Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services for mental health and addiction services for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic.
