TORONTO: Mayor John Tory has 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 the recent virtual announcement by 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 . 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 Mayor Tory said: ” Modular Housing has proven to be useful in helping us create affordable housing quickly for those who are vulnerable in our city.”