A 10-storey, 145-unit passive public apartment building is being built in the Forest Glade area.
The federal government came forward Tuesday with a $22-million contribution to add to the $12-million the city is investing.
With a few other investments from groups like Community Living, the project is valued at around $39-million.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says this project is much needed in Windsor and didn't happen overnight.
"Some say this is an election thing by the federal government, this is not. This is something we've worked on since 2017. We submitted the application at that time, it takes a while to work its way through the system and get all the pieces in place when you have multiple levels of government," says Dilkens. "So we've been working on this for quite some time and just happy to be here today to see the shovel in the ground"
Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families Children and Social Development, represented the federal government at the event.
M.P. Adam Vaughn - Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families Children and Social Development, April 23, 2019 (by AM800's Peter Langille)
He says the partnership with the city and the need for social housing came together.
"The ambition of building the largest passive house in the country," says Vaughan. "This is new technology that is long overdue in this country in many ways, because it's existing technology but when it all lands on one site at the same time not only does it deliver a better environmental performance in the building but it actually builds a more durable building which is important for public housing"
Vaughan adds this is more than just an apartment building.
"The way it houses them and the way it combines the different communities; women escaping violence, people with intellectual disabilities and families looking for good safe secure housing," says Vaughan. "It builds a neighbourhood not just a house and that makes it easy to support financially"
The building at 3100 Meadowbrook Lane will start construction almost immediately.
When complete, it will take almost 10 per cent of the 5,000 people on the waiting list of Windsor Essex Community Housing Corporation.