Lambton County plans 206 new rent-geared-to-income apartments

Lambton County is planning 206 new rent-geared-to-income apartments within five years as part of a larger housing and homelessness plan.

Lambton County is moving ahead with plans to add 206 new rent-geared-to-income apartments over the next five years as part of an updated housing and homelessness plan.

The county already has one project underway, with a 50-unit rent-geared-to-income apartment building under construction on Kathleen Street in Sarnia. That building is expected to open this fall.

A second proposed project would see 94 new rent-geared-to-income apartments built on Cathcart Boulevard in Sarnia, if the county is successful in securing funding from upper levels of government.

The Cathcart Boulevard project is estimated to cost $32.5 million. Lambton County council has confirmed a financial plan that would allow the project to move forward if at least $16.4 million is provided by upper levels of government. The remaining costs would be covered through county borrowing and reserves.

If funding is approved, construction on the Cathcart Boulevard project could begin in summer 2027, with completion expected by summer 2029.

The proposed housing expansion is part of Lambton County’s updated housing and homelessness plan, which runs to 2035 and outlines projected needs across the local housing system.

Over the next 10 years, the county estimates Lambton will need 412 additional rent-geared-to-income units. The plan also identifies a need for 392 additional affordable rental units, 252 units with specialized supports and 40 additional shelter beds.

Affordable units are generally defined as apartments rented at 80 per cent of market rent, while rent-geared-to-income units, also described as deeply affordable housing, are tied to a household’s income.

Lambton County currently has about 1,000 families on its public housing waiting list.

The updated plan also points to growing affordability pressures across the county. Rents have increased by an estimated 38 to 42 per cent since 2020, while the local supply of affordable rental housing has declined. Between 2016 and 2021, Lambton saw a net loss of 190 affordable rental units.

The plan calls for the county to strengthen homelessness prevention, expand supportive housing options and improve collaboration with community partners. It also highlights the need for housing solutions that better support Indigenous residents, who make up 23 per cent of the local homeless population while representing 5.5 per cent of Lambton’s overall population.

Lambton County previously donated land on Confederation Street for an Indigenous affordable housing project that recently opened.

County officials say Lambton’s role is focused largely on shelter services, deeply affordable housing and supportive housing, while other community organizations help address other parts of the housing system.

The county has also provided seed funding in recent years to several non-profit housing proposals. In total, Lambton officials say there are up to 350 deeply affordable and affordable units at various stages of planning.

A separate update is expected later this month on efforts to find a permanent location for a temporary shelter currently operating in a former church building on Exmouth Street in Sarnia.

The county has been working with the Inn of the Good Shepherd, which operates shelter beds funded by Lambton County, to review possible locations. Any proposed site would need to consider zoning, capital costs, operating costs and consultation with the City of Sarnia before a final plan is brought forward.