$5M from anonymous donor to fund 115 'badly needed' supportive housing units

A local non-profit organization will run 115 new highly supportive and affordable housing units in London thanks to $5 million from a fund created by an anonymous donation in 2023.

The Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley (CMHA Thames Valley) will use the money to build two new apartment buildings in different parts of the city.

One, at 248-254 Hill St. in SoHo, will have 33 one bedroom units. The other, at 644-646 Huron St., will include 27 studio, 28 one bedroom, and 27 two bedroom units, according to CMHA Thames Valley.

"[These units are] absolutely important because we know that not all affordable housing is supportive. With supportive housing you have supports embedded in the building," said Dean Astolfi, CMHA Thames Valley's VP of supportive housing and program development.

Supportive housing is designed to provide residents with services that, depending on the development, range from onsite care that includes mental health, addiction and nursing services, to meals, activities and other and housing stability supports.

The announcement sees London inch closer to reaching a goal to have 600 new highly supportive units, bringing the tally to 406 units either open, or planned.

The money to make it happen is being shelled out by the London Community Foundation, which drew the funds from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change that started in January 2023 with a $25 million anonymous donation for homelessness and addictions support.

Since its creation, millions more have been donated to the fund by Londoners and matched by the initial donor. So far, the city says $17.4 million has been spent on various initiatives.

"It feels like a great endorsement of the work that needs to be done, and I'm very pleased to [receive it]," Astolfi said of the investment.

With construction set to begin this fall, the new four-storey building at 248-254 Hill St. is expected to open by the fall of 2026. Construction on the seven-storey building at 644-646 Huron St. is set to begin in early 2026, with occupancy planned for winter 2027.