Tiny home project in St. Thomas, Ont. hits snag when $6.7M grant application denied

Project Tiny Hope in St. Thomas, Ont. is going back to ‘plan A’.

Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) St. Thomas-Elgin said their application for a $6.7 million Rapid Housing Initiative grant was denied, despite “scoring really well”.

“When speaking with our rep from CMHC [Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation], it was really, our understanding, that we scored really, really well,” said Lindsay Rice, executive director of YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin.

“There is $1.5 billion being shared across Canada with over 700 applicants, and even though we scored really well, the projects were given to other communities across Canada,” she said. “It really came down to how CMHC determined your community's depth of need for affordable housing”.

However, despite now being about $8 million short of their funding target, Rice believes this is just a small setback in the plan to build 40 tiny homes on a former brownfield site at 21 Kains St.

“All along, that was plan B anyways,” said Rice. “We're really looking back at plan A, and that is paving the path forward for a collective build and really engaging the homebuilder community, the trade’s people, and looking at an opportunity to build collectively.”

Project Tiny Hope is a planned 40 tiny home community in St. Thomas, Ont. (Source: YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin)

The project will still go forward, and they have already discussed the next steps.

They include advocating with the provincial government, looking at a co-investment application and their grant process with the CMHC, and moving forward with a community blitz build.

With the underground servicing already in place, a blitz build could see many homebuilders construct multiple homes on a weekend either on site, or off site and delivered.

“We look forward to engaging with our builder peers, suppliers, and trades as we work towards realizing our vision of Tiny Hope as a community-based project addressing these affordability challenges,” Doug Tarry, president of Doug Tarry Homes said in a news release.

The City of St. Thomas also has a stake in the project after agreeing to invest $3 million in the project.

Underground servicing work is complete at 21 Kains St. in St. Thomas, Ont. The former brownfield site, seen on July 16, 2023, is the location of Project Tiny Hope, a future tiny home community. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)

“Always a way to get it done and when one door closes another one opens,” said Joe Preston, St. Thomas’ mayor. “We're going to certainly research all weekend as a city as to what else can be done. I know [Doug Tarry's] an adventurous guy as far as getting buildings done, so we're pretty certain we're going to have this all completed. This is just one step along the way where we got to take a little turn and then move forward and another way.”

Rice said they have already been gifted so many products including concrete, flooring, windows, and insulation, and they’ll be looking for more of that from the community.

“Even if we could kick start with the first 10 tiny homes,” said Rice. “Let’s get those built and off the ground and then continue the next 10, the next 10, and the next 10, and then lo and behold, you have a whole community of 40 houses, and 66 People living, and thriving”.

Those interested in making a donation to help YWCA St.Thomas-Elgin reach their goal can visit their website.