Kitchener advancing affordable housing for refugees, new Canadians
Posted Nov 27, 2025 10:02:04 AM.
Last Updated Dec 2, 2025 01:32:11 PM.
The City of Kitchener announced it is looking to provide municipal-owned lands and various grants to a project focused on providing transitional housing to refugees and new Canadians.
That project is being done through Reception House, a local non-profit organization which looks to provide affordable housing for government-assisted refugees.
The land, located on Wellington Street North, is being used for the new project that will support the development of 30 transitional housing units.
“This project is a critical step forward in our mission to support newcomers,” said Babur Mawladin, CEO of Reception House Waterloo Region. “These transitional and affordable units will allow us to better serve refugee families and provide them with a stable foundation as they begin their new lives in Canada.”
Those units are set to include 15 four-bedroom units, five three-bedroom units and 10 one-bedroom spaces.
While those lands will be provided to Reception House, the city has stated that it will also be receiving a $300,000 grant through the not-for-profit affordable rental and co-op housing incentive program.
That’s being done in support of the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund program, now the ninth recipient of the funding aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing across the city.
“Our Government is focused on delivering housing for the people of Kitchener-Conestoga, the Waterloo Region, and across the country,” said Tim Louis, Member of Parliament for Kitchener-Conestoga. “I’m proud of our partnership with the City of Kitchener, and of the tangible difference these homes will make for the most vulnerable people in our community.”
It all comes after the City of Kitchener was recognized as a “top-performing community” by the federal government earlier this year, being awarded an additional $4.2 million through the Housing Accelerator Fund in the process.
“Kitchener remains deeply committed to making housing affordable for everyone,” said Ward 10 Councillor Stephanie Stretch. “Thanks to the ongoing commitment of our Federal government partners, we are Building Kitchener Together and working tirelessly towards making sure everyone has a place to call home.”
