Tiny cabin community in Chatham-Kent nearing completion despite delays
An update on the tiny cabins being built for the homeless in Chatham-Kent. CTV Windsor's Chris Campbell has details.
A transitional housing project made up of 50 small cabins is moving closer to completion in Chatham-Kent, with municipal officials confident the site will be ready for occupancy by August, despite recent construction delays.
The modular cabins, each measuring 100 square feet, are part of a broader initiative to address growing homelessness in the community, where demand for affordable housing has surged in recent years.
'There was some delays,' said Chatham-Kent councillor Anthony Ceccacci. 'There was some significant infrastructure work that was done on the ground there to make sure that the property was suitable for the small development.'
Twenty-five of the cabins have already been installed at the site at the corner of Hyslop and Park Streets, with the remaining half expected to be put in place over the coming weeks. Each climate controlled unit comes equipped with a bed, microwave, and fridge, and residents will have access to shared washrooms, a kitchen and office space designed for coaching and support services.
'I don't think there's a perfect solution anywhere, but I think that this is on the right track,' said Ceccacci. 'This gives the opportunity to people that who are experiencing homelessness their own 100ft² of personal space with a bed, microwave and a fridge. And then it also gives them access to a common area that will include bathrooms, coaching areas, office space, as well as a kitchen. So, you know, they're small, but that gives them their own personal space so they can actually have some dignity in their living arrangements.'
tiny cabins
Tiny Cabins in Chatham-Kent, Ont., on Friday, June 13, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)
The project, estimated to cost between $4 million and $5 million, has prompted some concerns over spending. But Ceccacci said the units are built to be weather-resistant and designed with safety in mind.
'There's always ways that you can do things cheaper and more efficiently,' he said. 'As a councillor, sometimes we see these initiatives and these price tags and it's very surprising but there's a process that has to go through. These are designed to be very weather withstanding. There's going to be heating and cooling in there. I don't know very many sheds at Home Depot that you can put a heating and cooling system in. And we're also talking about lives as well. So there's a life safety element to this as well.'
Ceccacci said homelessness in Chatham-Kent has grown significantly in recent years.
'Since 2019, our homeless population in Chatham-Kent has increased 171 per cent,' he said. 'And our affordable housing waitlist is now ten years long with over 1300 families on the waitlist. So these types of initiatives is going to help people that are really experiencing homelessness find a place to have their own suitable space that they can occupy.'
The common space on site will also include employment coaching and training programs, which Ceccacci said are critical for helping residents move forward.
'The common rooms will have a focus on coaching and training and office space to try to develop a plan to get these people that are experiencing these challenges into the best possible spots where they can then transition to their own living arrangements within our community.'
He said the goal is not simply to provide shelter, but to create a path forward.
'They're not looking for a handout, but a hand up. And I think that, as a community, that's something that we really have to focus on.'
Ceccacci added long-term solutions will also require changes at the provincial and federal levels, noting municipal officials are still waiting for word on any potential funding possibilities from the upper levels of government.
'Ultimately, the best thing that would happen would be the upper levels of government changing the limits on disabilities and social services and those things and lifting some of those caps because they haven't really increased to the cost of living standards in, in decades,' he said. 'So, at the end of the day, I just want to try to do our best to have people have as much dignity as possible and having their own living arrangements.'
The project has also started to shift opinions in the neighbourhood. Bev King, who lives nearby, said he was initially concerned about the development.
'They're actually pretty good,' said King. 'I got the chance to go in and see what they are and how they're set up, and they're going to be great for the homeless. I think it's going to be a good thing for them.'
King admitted he had some hesitations at the beginning.
'Because we didn't know what type of people were going in, and it really doesn't matter because all homeless need a place to live.'
King explained he now supports the initiative.
'They just need a helping hand, and this is going to give it to them.'
The project is expected to be fully operational sometime in August.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
‘Scary Situation': Marine Search underway for missing swimmer in Port Burwell
Elgin OPP and the Canadian Coast Guard searching Lake Erie off the shores of Port Burwell Provincial Park for a missing swimmer on Sunday June 22, 2025.(Brent Lale/CTV News London) Elgin OPP and the Canadian Coast Guard are conducting a joint marine search off the beach at Port Burwell Provincial Park. Sunday afternoon, a father and daughter were swimming when they started to struggle. One swimmer, a young teenage girl according to witnesses, was able to be rescued, however her father did not resurface. 'She was in a panic, and everybody was looking for him,' says Alida Cordeiro, a mother and former lifeguard who was on the beach at the time. 'There was a lot of shock, and they couldn't contact family members that were still not at the beach or at home. It was a really, scary situation.' According to Cordeiro, the girl was looking for her phone after getting out of the water to call for help. Another witness said the father helped push her toward shore before going under. 'It breaks my heart,' Cordeiro added. 'I'm here with my kids and my husband was here, and we're probably the same age.' Late in the afternoon, OPP cleared the public from the beach, which is marked with signs indicating there is no lifeguards. port burwell - no lifeguards - june 2025 A sign on the way to the beach at Port Burwell Provincial Park indicates the area has no lifeguards. June 22, 2025. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) They had a pair of boats in the water, and both Bayham fire and Central Elgin Fire had drones in the air. 'We are just assisting Bayham (fire) with the drone to try and see if we can see anything from the air and anything more than what they're seeing from the boats and from the shore,' said Murray DeCorte, district chief of Central Elgin Fire Rescue. Decorte had a busy day as he arrived in Port Burwell after an earlier rescue call. 'Down in Port Stanley, there was near drownings,' said DeCorte. 'They were taking in a lot of water, but lifeguards were doing some training and they got them to safety. Then along with fire as well, they got them out and got them into EMS' hands, taking them both to hospital.' port burwell - missing swimmer - june 2025 Alida Cordeiro, a mother and former lifeguard , was on the beach at the time of the incident on June 22, 2025. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) The combination of really hot weather, and high winds was a recipe for disaster. 'The waves are really, really big,' said Cordeiro. 'When we got here today earlier this morning [the waves] were about a good solid metre and a half, and I noticed that the water was really cold. It's a bad mix for people going out there getting too cold and then getting extra tired. Where when the waves are warm, people can swim out there longer without getting as tired.' Decorte echoed that sentiment, 'With the water not being warm yet, it's hard to swim in,' he said. 'So maybe that played some of the part too in the waves.' Early in the evening, OPP brought ATVs to use on the long stretch of beach as the search continues.
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Truck full of pups evacuated from wildfires arrive in Barrie, get set for adoption
Dozens of dogs and a handful of cats who were evacuated from the Northwestern Ontario wildfires get set for fostering and adoption. Dozens of dogs and a handful of cats who were evacuated from the Northwestern Ontario wildfires arrived in Barrie Sunday afternoon, where they will be fostered and prepared to eventually find their new homes. Kelley Ward, founder of 'Lost Boys Hope Rescue,' coordinated their week-long journey over thousands of kilometres from Sandy Lake to Thunder Bay to Sudbury. She picked them up in Sudbury on Sunday and drove them to her Lost Boys warehouse in Barrie. '65 dogs and four cats, I believe,' said Ward of the precious cargo. 'These are dogs that have been previously on surrendered lists that are strays that someone in the community is helping us with, or dogs of people who have been evacuated that wanted their dogs out so that they can be safe.' Ward and her volunteers carefully but quickly unpacked 27 of the pups to limit their exposure to the extreme heat and prepared them for their foster owners as they lined up at the front door. 'It's just a good feeling. It's something that makes a difference,' said Chris Proestos, who fostered one of the pups for his mother. 'We had a dog before, my late sister's dog. We put her down recently, and it's good for my mother to have companionship.' Puppies in Barrie Puppies who were evacuated from Northwestern Ontario wildfires arrive in Barrie, Ont., on Sun., June 22, 2025. (CTV News/Mike Lang) Most of the other canines and cats were picked up by members of the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. 13 dogs and two cats were bound for fosters in Collingwood, three dogs and two other cats were transported to Vaughan and another dog was brought to Kitchener. 'Very emotional to say the least,' said Pam Odam, Georgian Humane Society transport coordinator, of the process. 'Right now, we're doing [trips up north] weekly to try and relieve the pressure on the fosters in Thunder Bay, so that they can bring in more dogs that either need respite from the fires or that they're being surrendered.' The other dogs in the hands of Ward and her volunteers will be quarantined for two weeks before getting fostered, vetted, spayed, neutered and vaccinated. They will then be put up for adoption. At that point, Lost Boys Hope will prepare for their next shipment of canine evacuees. 'I've had northern dogs for ten years,' said Ward. 'It's where my heart and soul is. I love helping the communities, I love the people up there, so that's where I go.' Ward adds that they are always looking for additional volunteers and donations so that they can keep more dogs happy and connect them to more foster owners.
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
South-West Oxford becomes unwilling host for wind turbines
South-West Oxford becomes unwilling host of wind turbines. (Source: South-West Oxford and Malahide Say No to Wind Turbines Group) The Council of the Township of South-West Oxford declared the municipality an unwilling host for wind turbines on June 17, making it the 159th municipality to become an unwilling host. The Southwest Oxford and Malahide Say No to Wind Turbines group presented at the meeting, and asked council to pass a resolution which wouldn't allow wind turbines. 'This marks an unprecedented level of municipal engagement, and we commend the leadership shown in standing up for the community's interests,' said the Southwest Oxford and Malahide Say No to Wind Turbines group in a statement. 'We are also deeply grateful to the many volunteers and community members whose dedication and tireless efforts helped make this possible. Your voices were heard; this is how democracy works.' Due to a high volume of concerned residents, council passed the resolution to stop any future developments of winds turbines. The resolution states that public health, property values, agricultural operations, water resources and environmental ecosystems would be negatively impacted by industrial wind turbines.
