Proposal would increase local investment in homelessness prevention, shelters, affordable housing, accessibility and first-time homeownership

WINDSOR, ON – October 1, 2026 – Ward 2 incumbent Frazier Fathers has released a proposed Windsor Housing Affordability and Unhoused Action Plan, outlining how an additional $2.83 per month for the average assessed Windsor home could generate approximately $5 million annually for locally designed housing and homelessness programs.

The proposal calls for a dedicated 1% municipal property-tax investment phased in over two years — 0.5% in 2027 and a further 0.5% in 2028. The plan is intended as an initial municipal investment rather than a complete solution to Windsor’s housing and homelessness challenges.

“For less than the cost of a cup of coffee each month, we can begin putting real municipal resources behind preventing homelessness, stabilizing our shelter system, getting affordable housing projects ready to build, making homes more accessible and helping first-time buyers put down roots in Windsor,” said Fathers. “This does not solve everything. It gives us somewhere meaningful to start.”

Windsor and Essex County currently contributes comparatively little from the local tax base

While approximately $25.05 million is identified for housing and homelessness programs administered through Windsor-Essex in 2026-27, approximately $4.05 million comes from municipal sources — $3.22 million from the City of Windsor and $830,000 from Essex County. That represents approximately 16.2% of identified funding, compared with 37.2% in London-Middlesex, 39.8% in Hamilton, 55.8% in Waterloo Region, 29% in Niagara Region and 27.2% in Durham Region in the comparisons presented in the plan.

Fathers argue that the relatively low local contribution limits Windsor’s ability to respond to local priorities because federal and provincial funding is often tied to prescribed uses and has not necessarily grown alongside local operating pressures and inflation.

“We have become heavily dependent on funding decisions made by other orders of government,” said Fathers. “We have already identified that these governments are not going to save us. So, it becomes a question of what kind of City do we want to live in?”

The proposed 1% investment would generate approximately $5 million annually once fully implemented and would increase the Windsor-Essex municipal share of the identified housing and homelessness budget to approximately 30.1%, before any additional County contribution.

What would $2.83 per month fund?

Once fully implemented, the plan proposes approximately:

• $1 million annually for non-profit shelter stabilization, helping address operating pressures, protect existing shelter capacity and strengthen the local homelessness response. 
• $1 million annually for rent subsidies, emergency rental arrears and supportive housing per diem supports, with the goal of preventing households from entering homelessness and helping people move out of shelters more quickly. 
• $200,000 annually for affordable, transitional and supportive housing feasibility grants, providing non-profits, cooperatives and charities with up to $25,000 for feasibility studies, architectural work, engineering, environmental assessments and other pre-development costs.
• $200,000 annually for accessibility renovations, helping homeowners and landlords undertake permanent accessibility improvements such as ramps, accessible entrances, bathroom modifications, lifts and widened doorways to support an aging community and persons with disabilities to remain in existing residence.
• $2 million annually for affordable, supportive and transitional housing capital projects, including construction, acquisition, conversion and rehabilitation projects. 
• A $300,000 First-Time Homebuyer Property Tax Grant pilot, intended to support up to 40 qualifying households annually for 3 years to purchase affordably priced homes in Windsor’s core. 

The plan estimates that, over the next council term, these investments could support up to 32 pre-development projects, hundreds of households through rental and homelessness-prevention supports, up to $6 million in direct capital investment over several years, accessibility improvements to up to 80 homes and apartments, and support for up to 120 first-time homebuyers.  

The individual programs remain proposals and would require Council approval, detailed program design and refinement through the municipal budget process.

“Show your work”

Fathers said the release is intended to begin a broader city-wide conversation about what level of municipal investment Windsor is prepared to make in housing affordability and homelessness.

“People can absolutely disagree with my proposal. This is the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one. But I think candidates asking residents for their vote should move beyond slogans and show their work.”

“If another candidate believes $2.83 per month is too much, that is a legitimate position. The next question is: what would you do instead? Which of these programs would you eliminate? How would you stabilize shelters, prevent homelessness or generate the same housing outcomes without the revenue? What would you cut? What library would you close? What road wouldn’t get fixed? What service would you outsource? Windsor residents deserve to be able to compare actual plans, costs and consequences not just slogans.”

The proposal also identifies additional measures outside the dedicated levy, including consideration of a municipal land bank, an Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan, greater capacity for Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation to leverage its land and assets, and a portfolio-based application to Build Canada Homes. 

“No one tax increase, grant or program is going to solve a housing shortage that has developed over decades,” said Fathers. “The question is whether we are willing to start building the local capacity necessary to make progress. I am putting forward one option, with the numbers and programs attached, so residents and candidates can have that conversation.”

The proposal was shared for review with Family Services Windsor-Essex, the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families, and Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario, Windsor Family Homes and Community Partnerships with feedback from those organizations helping inform the plan.

You can read the full proposal here.