Affordable Housing Growth
Haldimand-Norfolk Prepares for Significant Affordable Housing Expansion with New Units
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Norfolk County's affordable housing waitlist has more than doubled in five years, reaching 422 households, while the rental vacancy rate sits barely above zero Simcoe Reformer. Two new projects from the Haldimand Norfolk Housing Corporation (HNHC) aim to change that — but one depends on a high-stakes federal grant application that could make or break the plan.
A 56-unit apartment building on Ramsey Drive in Dunnville broke ground in July 2025 and is on track to open in early 2027 Simcoe Reformer. A second project — adding 32 new units to an existing site in Port Dover — is now proposed, with a projected cost of $14.27 million.
Dunnville's 56-Unit Build Mixes Subsidized and Market Housing
The Ramsey Drive building in Dunnville is the more advanced of the two projects. It will have 56 apartments split across three tiers: 14 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units for low-income residents, 28 affordably priced units for lower-income workers, and 14 market-rate units Simcoe Reformer. The market-rate apartments are designed to generate revenue that helps subsidize the cheaper units.
The project has not been cheap. Construction costs have already climbed from $29.3 million to $31 million due to rising prices Simcoe Reformer. The building will also include a 41-space YWCA daycare, adding a community benefit beyond just housing. Haldimand Mayor Shelley Ann Bentley called it "the building of heart" at the July 2025 groundbreaking.
Port Dover Plan Would Double Capacity at Existing Site
HNHC updated Norfolk County Council on June 22, 2026, with a proposal to "intensify" an existing affordable housing site at Regent Avenue and Greenock Street in Port Dover Simcoe Reformer. HNHC already runs a two-storey building there with 30 RGI units. The new building would add 32 more units on the same property, roughly doubling capacity.
Port Dover residents have raised concerns at public meetings. A proposed building height of four or five storeys has sparked worries about privacy — specifically tenants looking into neighbouring yards — and parking congestion Simcoe Reformer. Construction is targeted for summer 2027, pending funding approval and council sign-off.
Federal Grant Is the Make-or-Break Funding Source
The Port Dover project carries a total price tag of $14.27 million. Of that, $8.27 million must come from Build Canada Homes (BCH), a new federal Crown corporation launched by Prime Minister Mark Carney in September 2025 Simcoe Reformer. BCH was capitalized with $13 billion through the federal budget and is designed to directly finance affordable housing builds across Canada.
If the grant application fails, Norfolk County would face a stark choice: take on significant debt or cancel the project entirely. Norfolk's Director of Housing and Social Services, Becky Lala, has built the financial strategy around securing that federal money — and avoiding long-term municipal debt. The stakes are high, especially with a municipal election on the horizon in 2026.
Selling Old Homes to Fund New Apartments: A Strategic Shift
To fund part of the expansion, Norfolk County declared 13 aging single-family RGI homes in Simcoe surplus and sold them on the open market Simcoe Reformer. Those homes needed more than $1.6 million in repairs. Rather than fix them, the county pooled that money to invest in higher-density buildings that can house more people at lower cost per unit.
Not everyone agrees with the approach. Some critics say the loss of green space and neighbourhood character is too high a price for densification. But Lala has argued that keeping aging, repair-heavy homes is "fiscally irresponsible" when the same funds could house twice as many people in modern apartments Simcoe Reformer. Across the two new projects, HNHC aims to deliver 113 new units in total.
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