With the ongoing shortage of affordable housing affecting communities throughout the province, a new 40-unit apartment building in Sarnia aims to fill that void-especially for Indigenous residents.
This five-storey Indigenous housing project, situated on Confederation Street, is set to welcome its first tenants in February.
Managed by Ontario Housing Aboriginal Services (OHAS), the organization is hosting an open house on Thursday, inviting Indigenous community members to come see the space.
“The project really responds to the urgent Indigenous housing need in the community,” said Chelsea Combot, Senior Director of Policy and Stakeholder Relations at OHAS.
She highlighted that this development was made possible through a partnership with the County of Lambton. “Indigenous households face some of the highest rates of housing insecurity and homelessness across Ontario and the county really recognized this.”
According to 2025 data by the County of Lambton, Indigenous residents make up a significant portion of those experiencing homelessness locally, accounting for between 21 and 25 percent each month. This is especially concerning given that they represent about 4.4 percent of the region’s total population, Combot noted.
This inequality was identified in the county’s Housing and Homeless Plan (2020-2024), which found that Indigenous people were not adequately served by current housing systems. The plan also pointed out unique challenges faced by Indigenous renters, such as “discrimination from landlords,” lengthy waitlists for affordable housing both on reserves and off, and a lack of culturally appropriate housing options.
Combot states that this new building will be one part of a larger strategy within the county’s comprehensive homelessness plan aimed at “supporting the development of Indigenous-led housing in the community.”
The development features one-, two-, and three-bedroom units prioritized for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals and families. One-bedroom units start at $881 plus utilities; two-bedroom units begin at $1,104 plus utilities; while three-bedroom units are priced at $1,236 plus utilities.
“That’s about 80% of market rental rates for the area,” said Combot. She added that several units will receive deeper subsidies through funding from the county. CBC reached out to County of Lambton for specifics on how those subsidized units will be allocated but did not get a response before deadline.
Combot mentioned that there will also be free laundry facilities on-site as well as indoor bike storage, with design elements inspired by Indigenous culture incorporated throughout.
“From the exterior, you can tell that it’s inspired by Indigenous beadwork,” said Combot. “The idea is that the colours at the top of the building really blend into the skyline, and then throughout the design we used heavy timber accents meant to…really celebrate Indigenous cultural connections to the natural world.”
The open house takes place from 1 p. m. to 4:30 p. m. on Thursday at 940 Confederation Street in Sarnia.
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Inside one of the units at the new Indigenous affordable housing building at 940 Confederation Street in Sarnia. (credit: Chelsea Combot)
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