A positive step forward for Hiatus House in their transitional housing project.
Hiatus House officials held an event at the Windsor Yacht Club on Wednesday evening to provide an update on the project as it gets closer to construction of the build.
The transitional housing project - which is set to include 40-units - is in the federal and provincial grant process. Hiatus House will be looking to apply provincially to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and federally to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
Architectural drawings for the build are in their final phase. Once that's complete, Hiatus House can move forward with applying for the grants. This funding will be crucial in moving forward and the hope is to have funds secured and shovels in the ground by July 2026.
The need for this housing has grown in Windsor-Essex as 40 per cent of women become homeless after leaving an abusive relationship. Due to the high demand for emergency shelter, women and children are discharged before securing permanent housing.
Maggie Durocher, Coordinator of Fundraising and Development at Hiatus House, says the entire project is expected to cost $26-million.
"We've raised $1.3-million, but a lot of the funding will be government funding that we haven't been able to apply for until we finish up with the Class B estimates that we need, or Class C estimates that we need. There's a lot of facets of this project that have to be completed before you can do that."
Sylvie Guenther, Executive Director at Hiatus House, says it's not acceptable that 40 per cent of women become homeless after leaving an abusive relationship.
"It is not okay that when a woman makes a choice to leave a relationship because of violence that that is the reason that she starts in homelessness. And so, the transitional housing will provide an opportunity for her not to have that experience, and instead have an experience that is supported, and with people around her."
Guenther says this housing is direly needed as Hiatus House currently sees 500 individuals yearly through their Transitional Housing Support Program.
"Those are people who are actively waiting for housing to come up, so it's a staggering number, and in our shelter service we service over 500 people in the year, and that includes women and children. It's a 42-bed shelter, and often we're running as high as 44, always trying to make sure we have room for high-risk women."
The new transitional housing building will be across the street from the current Hiatus House location on Louis Avenue.
Hiatus House is currently looking to secure sponsorships for the 40 units in the proposed building.
The new transitional housing building is expected to be open to the public in July 2028.
The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation Night Light Walk will take place once again in Windsor this October to fundraise for the project. Last year, $55,000 was raised.
Hiatus House provides support to women and children affected by gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking in Windsor-Essex. They offer crisis support and emergency shelter to those in need.