The Bridge opens eight more housing units

A large crowd of officials, dignitaries and interested parties gathered at The Bridge Youth Resource Centre in Leamington on Thursday, October 5 to witness the ribbon cutting of the next phase of modular homes built on the back property of The Bridge.

The eight new modular homes join the four previous homes that were created with a 3-D printer. 

These homes were supported through the federal Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) program facilitated by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). 

The Bridge received $1,858,000 from the RHI program and fundraised over $2,500,000 to complete the building of the RHI homes, the previously built 3D printed homes, along with the purchase of the newly acquired adjacent property. 

These affordable homes are dedicated to not only youth as The Bridge’s priority population, but also women, seniors, Indigenous peoples and black Canadians.

The Bridge Executive Director Krista Rempel said she was thrilled to be able to announce these new builds.

“I’m very proud of all our organization has been able to do here in just the past five years,” she said.

Rempel said they also would not have been able to achieve this milestone event without the Grow Grant they received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) from June 2020 – May 2023 to support the enhancement of services through the Resource Centre and Quiring Family Fresh Start housing facility.   

Leamington Mayor — and Essex County Warden — Hilda MacDonald was amazed at the progress made on The Bridge property. 

“These things don’t happen quickly,” she said. “and they don’t happen overnight. It’s the resources, the people who have donated and worked hard who have brought this to fruition.”

Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers agreed, saying that The Bridge is an amazing place of compassion.

“Care, compassion and empathy, to me that’s what a community is,” he said. “And The Bridge is as good as it gets.”

After the speakers, everyone was invited outdoors for a ribbon cutting and tour of the eight new modular one-bedroom units.

Krista Rempel says another 36 one-bedroom units are planned behind the existing 12 units, plus two storage units.