Ontario Construction News staff writer
A former healthcare facility in downtown Windsor has been successfully transformed into affordable housing, marking the completion of a redevelopment project that delivered 19 residential units through the adaptive reuse of an existing building.
The Grace on Ouellette Apartments at 1106 Ouellette Ave. officially opened this week following a renovation and conversion project that repurposed a two-storey medical building formerly owned by Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare.
Led by Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation (CHC), the project involved the complete rehabilitation of the existing structure to create permanent affordable housing. Originally designed to accommodate 15 units, the scope was later expanded to include 19 apartments, maximizing the building’s residential capacity while preserving and reusing existing infrastructure.
The property was acquired by CHC from Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, which contributed to the redevelopment through a discounted sale of the building. The arrangement enabled the housing provider to redirect additional resources toward construction and renovation work required to convert the facility into residential use.
Renovations included extensive interior reconfiguration to accommodate residential layouts, upgrades to building systems, and improvements necessary to meet current housing standards. The completed development now provides 19 affordable housing units in Windsor’s core, with all but two units already occupied.
The project also incorporates a social housing component through a partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Windsor-Essex County Branch. Available units will support participants in Ontario’s Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs program, combining affordable housing with access to support services.
More than $3.3 million in federal and provincial funding supported the redevelopment, including approximately $1.2 million through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative and $2.1 million through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative.
