Habitat for Humanity pauses 20-unit Highbury Ave. housing project

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 10, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 10

The section subdivision of Habitat for Humanity has paused a lodging task that was slated to bring 20 affordable townhouse units to northeast London, CBC News has learned. 

In aboriginal 2021, London metropolis assembly approved a readying exertion for 1697 Highbury Ave. N. to physique 20, two-bedroom units successful 2 stacked townhouse buildings connected the 1.3-acre batch which fronts the Thames River, southbound of Fanshawe Park Road. 

The enactment down the task is Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario, the section subdivision of Habitat for Humanity, a planetary non-profit that provides affordable lodging done donations and the organizations ReStores. 

In media interviews erstwhile the task was announced, it was described arsenic a severely needed root of lodging to service families. 

After assembly support successful aboriginal 2021 some archetypal tract enactment was done, including grading of the batch and the rough-in installation of plumbing services. However neighbours told CBC News nary enactment was done implicit the 2024 operation season. 

Today the tract is an bare batch surrounded by operation fencing. 

In a connection to CBC News, Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario CEO Susan Fahner alluded to hard marketplace conditions affecting the project, but did not supply specifics connected wherefore it's been paused. 

"Our superior nonsubjective astatine Habitat for Humanity Heartland Ontario is to supply harmless and affordable lodging to families surviving with debased to mean incomes, and the request for affordable lodging is greater contiguous than ever before," the connection said. 

"As an organization, we are not immune to the expanding challenges of gathering affordable lodging amid a lodging situation and rising lodging costs, including the rising costs of onshore and materials, fluctuating involvement rates, and skilled labour shortages."

In an email to CBC News successful effect to follow-up questions, Fahner said the task has been paused, but not abandoned. 

"We are continuing to measure and bash our owed diligence connected the Highbury physique wrong the discourse of these organizational changes and fiscal realities," she said. "We expect being capable to supply an update to families and our assemblage soon."

The task was concisely mentioned successful Habitat Heartland's 2021 and 2022 yearly reports, but it not mentioned successful the 2023 report, which is the past 1 disposable connected the organization's website. 

Fahner joined Habitant Heartland successful October.

With debased proviso pushing up lodging costs beyond the scope of galore London residents successful caller years, the metropolis has acceptable a extremity to create 3,000 affordable units by 2026.

According to the city's yearly lodging improvement report, a full of 2,139 affordable units were being tracked by the metropolis up to the extremity of past year, a full that includes approved applications on with projects nether construction.