The Ontario government is spending $5 million to help create 43 one-bedroom units that will support low-income individuals in need of affordable housing in downtown Hamilton.

Located at 225 East Avenue North, the three-storey building also includes six accessible and barrier-free units. The building has designated program space and residents will have access to amenities such as a laundry room, a kitchenette in the common space, bike storage, a courtyard, terrace and communal gardens. Residents will be close to public transportation, a hospital, parks, grocery stores and pharmacies.

The announcement is part of the province’s Social Services Relief Fund (SSRF). The government says the fund has provided over $1.2 billion of support to help municipal service managers and Indigenous program administrators create longer-term housing solutions and help vulnerable people in Ontario, including those who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.

The government said it’s also investing an additional $202 million each year in homelessness prevention programs – the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program – bringing Ontario’s total yearly investment to close to $700 million. This includes an allocation of $27.9 million through the Homelessness Prevention Program for Hamilton in 2023-24.