40 residents still displaced after Chatham apartment fire [Video]

Dozens of displaced tenants of a municipal housing complex in Chatham are still in need of a temporary housing solution, after their homes went up in flames last month.

An early morning arson at 99 McNaughton Avenue West in Chatham on Aug. 25 initially forced 99 people out of the 120-unit apartment. To date, municipal staff in Chatham-Kent have assisted 35 tenants with alternate housing needs, while an additional 25 tenants have found their own options.

“It’s been a long month,” said Robert Francis, who is still staying with friends. “A long-drawn-out month. But I’m still alive. Two feet and a heartbeat.”

Francis said those that are going into new placements are required to pay 75 per cent of the cost, saying some residents are disheartened by the plan put in place.

99 McNaughton Avenue West in Chatham, Ont. on Sept. 25, 2024. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor)

“It’s within some …