Bruce Power has pledged $1 million to support affordable housing in Bruce County.
James Scongack, the chief operating officer and executive vice-president of Bruce Power, said he felt it was important to pledge this support in advance of the County's next affordable housing project.
"We really want to contribute to the community in a positive way, so this is about us directing our community investment dollars into those high-priority areas, whether it's affordable housing or local healthcare," he said.
Bruce Power says this funding will be provided in addition to the funds it is donating to specific projects within the County. In a December 11 media release, Bruce Power said it is giving $150,000 to an affordable additional residential unit program by the County, $20,000 to a housing needs assessment program in Brockton, and $38,000 to a modular home project toolkit in Saugeen Shores.
Bruce Power is also giving $150,000 to Habitat for Humanity Grey-Bruce for eight new homes in Owen Sound.
As of February, Grey-Bruce Community Safety & Well-Being Planning reported 170 households actively experiencing homelessness. Of those, 126 individuals had been experiencing homelessness for over six months.
The announcement from Bruce Power also comes after a previous pledge of $1 million to support an affordable housing initiative in Goderich. The County of Huron says the money is going towards a 40-unit apartment building on Gibbons Street, set for completion in either late 2025 or early 2026.
The latest update from Huron County reported 131 people experiencing homelessness county-wide.
"The facility in Goderich is a wrap-around facility that has a combination of affordable housing and other social services," Scongack said. "What's really innovative about that project is it can serve as a model for rural communities across Ontario."
Scongack added that affordable housing is a growing issue across the country.
"The way I look at this is we're part of the community," he said. "We know affordability and affordable housing is an issue in communities all across Canada, and the communities here in Grey, Bruce and Huron are no different."
**this story was written by Julia DeJong, a 4th year journalism student at Carleton University, who is doing an internship with CKNXNewsToday.ca