Yesterday, Mayor John Tory announced the new supportive housing site that will be developed using innovative modular construction. The site will create approximately 57 self-contained homes at 7 Glamorgan Ave. and will provide stable, affordable homes and support services to people exiting homelessness including women, seniors, Indigenous peoples, Black Canadians and other racialized community members and those with disabilities.
The Mayor was joined at today’s virtual announcement by the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Salma Zahid, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre; Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre); and Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão, (Davenport).
The building will be managed by a qualified and experienced non-profit housing provider that brings professional building management experience and expertise coordinating customized supports tailored to meet the unique needs of each resident. Supports could include connection to health care; life skills training and support; food and income supports and health and wellness services.
In selecting this site, the City and CreateTO staff evaluated City-owned and controlled land across Toronto using criteria that included: local demand for affordable housing, development potential of the site, current environmental status, local infrastructure, access to public transit, access to health and other community services, as well as conformity with the Official Plan, the zoning by-law and other considerations. The 7 Glamorgan Ave. site is owned by Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC).
It is estimated that there are about 7,800 Torontonians currently experiencing homelessness. To respond to this urgent need, the City is proposing modular construction as an innovative and cost-effective way to build good quality housing while providing a rapid, dignified response to homelessness. These homes will not only connect people experiencing and at risk of homelessness with safe, secure homes, but also with a range of support services to help them achieve housing stability and improve their overall health and wellbeing.
Local residents will have an opportunity to learn more about the project and to provide input into design elements during upcoming virtual community engagement sessions on May 25 and June 17. Details on how to participate in this process are being delivered to local residents and are also available on project website: https://www.toronto.ca/7Glamor
The homes at 7 Glamorgan Ave. are part of the City’s Modular Housing Initiative (MHI), Phase II. The City’s MHI, as approved by City Council on April 30, 2020, consists of two phases. One hundred homes were completed in the first phase, and two of the Phase II sites (175 Cummer and at Trenton & Cedarvale Aves.) will be completed by the end of the year. The City, through its Development Charges Reserve Fund for Subsidized Housing is contributing approximately $11.12 million to the capital costs for Glamorgan, while the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Affordable Housing Innovation Fund, is contributing approximately $4.27 million in grants and recoverable loans. The homes at 7 Glamorgan Ave. are the third and final site for MHI, Phase II.
On April 7, the Province of Ontario confirmed $15.4 million in operating funding for 2021 dedicated to supportive housing in Toronto. The City is working with the Province to extend this funding beyond 2021. The City is also working with Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness and its non-profit housing and health partners to identify additional supportive housing opportunities and to provide a wider range of support services onsite.
The creation of the new supportive housing announced today is part of the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan which targets the approval of 40,000 new affordable rental homes with 18,000 supportive homes, including 1,000 modular homes, to help increase housing stability for Toronto residents over the next 10 years. On December 18, 2020, City Council approved the 24-month COVID-19 Housing and Homelessness Response Plan. This plan was developed to accelerate the delivery of new affordable and supportive housing, particularly housing suitable for those living outside in encampments or in the shelter system. More information about the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan is available online: https://www.toronto.ca/communi
High resolution images and B-roll of completed modular housing projects can be found in the City’s Media Room: https://www.toronto.ca/home/me
Quotes:
” Modular Housing has proven to be useful in helping us create affordable housing quickly for those who are vulnerable in our city. By partnering with the other levels of government we can ensure that we are moving quickly, and able to provide those living in these homes with the support services they need. It is clear that there is a need for affordable housing in Toronto and that need has been further exacerbated by the pandemic. Our work in implementing innovative ways to create affordable housing quickly helps us meet our goals as a city in creating long-term, stable housing for residents. I want to thank the federal government for providing us funding towards building these new homes and for being strong partners for our city.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. That’s why our government is investing in innovative, outside-the-box approaches to housing that will help build more accessible, energy efficient, and affordable homes across the country. We are thrilled to be a partner on this modular housing build, and look forward to providing more affordable housing for residents across Toronto. This is the National Housing Strategy at work.”
– The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
“This new supportive modular housing build will provide desperately needed affordable homes in our community, including for those who are the most at risk of homelessness during these troubling times. Through our government’s National Housing Strategy, we’re striving to reduce chronic homelessness and build a new generation of housing, so that every Canadian can have a place to call home. With all levels of government working together, we know we can achieve this ambitious goal.”
– Salma Zahid, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre
“Homelessness is a Toronto-wide issue. Leveraging existing City-controlled land and using the latest building technology to create permanent, supportive homes, enables us to tackle this issue directly and more quickly. By also providing additional services for residents, we will help our newest neighbours integrate more seamlessly and successfully into our community.”
– Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre) Chair of the City’s Economic and Community Development Committee
“By providing permanent housing with support services in place seven days a week and 24 hours a day, we not only give someone a comfortable, safe and stable home but also a renewed chance at life. Through the ambitious goals set out in our HousingTO 2020-2030 Plan, we are creating more of these opportunities faster than ever before and ensuring we build a more equitable City for all of us.”
– Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão, (Davenport), Chair of the City’s Planning and Housing Committee.”
SOURCE City of Toronto
Great put this in a low income area so the crime will rise even more , this trash doesn’t work just like your hotel shelters, these folks are stealing and breaking into cars and no one cares. Put in this in your backyard but you won’t , cowards.