‘Deal of the Century’: Tiny home project in St. Thomas, Ont. clears another financial hurdle

It's impossible to wipe the smile off the face of Lindsay Rice.

The Tiny Hope project in St. Thomas, Ont. has cleared another major financial hurdle.

St. Thomas City Council unanimously agreed to support the building of 40 tiny homes.

“It was a sheer moment of joy and this anticipation you have in this hope all coming to fruition,” says Rice, the executive director the St. Thomas YWCA who is coordinating the project.

“When they went to the votes — unanimously in favor of supporting project tiny hope was just amazing.”

The city’s contribution to the project is $3 million.

“I think this is the deal of the century,” Gary Clarke, a St. Thomas City councillor said during the meeting Monday night.

“Anytime you can get 40 units for $3 million, we should be jumping over this as quickly as we can. Let’s sign up for the three million tonight. It’s a needed project, it helps the most needy in our community … cleans up a brownfield site, and hits so many bullet points for the city.”

St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston (right) speaks with CTV London’s Brent Lale in St. Thomas, Ont. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

Mayor Joe Preston says this was an easy decision for multiple reasons.

“We can buy in for a quarter of the price it costs us to build the whole complex,” says Preston.

“Let's say ‘yes’ to that and the more people that want to come forward, we're willing to listen to all of that. Over the last four-and-a-half years this this council has been thinking with the same brain and as far as housing goes. It's our responsibility.”

The total amount of the project is $14.7 million. The next step is an application for the CMHC’s Rapid Housing Initiative for $6.7 million to be submitted by mid-March.

"We will hear back from them within 90 days if we are selected,” says Rice.

“We are scoring well as far as accessibility, energy efficiency and affordability.”

On top of the $6.7 million from the CMHC, they will also ask the province to contribute $3 million.

Project Tiny Hope will be a 40-unit Tiny Home project in St. Thomas, Ont. (Source: YWCA St. Thomas)“We’re going to get the money,” says Rob Flack, Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP.

“It's collaboration. It's not just one person, one project, or one organization. It is everybody collaboratively working together, and it's proving itself to be very successful. Everyone has a stake in the game at the national, provincial and municipal level.”

Now they await word from CMCH whether they will be approved for the grant.

“One of the key things is the project has to be built in less than 18 months,” says Rice.

“So the beauty of this is we could be shovel in the ground this summer of 2023, and having folks house with us by December of 2024.”