Toronto Mayor John Tory announced on Friday plans for seven new affordable and supportive housing developments that will bring a combined total of 260 homes to the city.
Thew new homes, which come as a joint effort between the City and the federal government, are part of Canada's Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), and will be built quickly to help Toronto reach its goal of approving 18,000 supportive homes by 2030.
“I am committed to getting more housing built," Tory said. "These seven projects announced today demonstrate how our governments and community partners are working together to get more housing built as soon as possible. Supporting Indigenous-led housing projects and creating new supportive and affordable homes is an important part of the affordable housing strategy in our HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan and I look forward to seeing these projects get up and running.”
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Under the RHI, homes are intended to be built within 12 months of funding being provided to program applicants. The new Toronto developments, which are expected to cost $105.5M, will go up all around the city at 135 Kingston Road ($9.5M), 525 Markham Road ($26.6M), 25 Augusta Avenue ($12.5M), 60 Bowden Street ($19.8M), 150 Eighth Street ($31M), 1120 Ossington Avenue ($4.5M), and 1080 Queen Street East ($1.6M).
Two-thirds of the new homes will provide wraparound support services and will prioritize housing those who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Two of the Toronto projects, led by Wigwamen and Akwa Honsta, will create 86 deeply affordable homes for Indigenous peoples as part of the City's commitment to allocate more than 20% of its RHI funding to Indigenous-led developments. Another 40% of the new homes will prioritize housing women-led households.
“Everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home, and the pandemic only exacerbated the real housing challenges people were facing," said Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen. "That’s why the Rapid Housing Initiative was created -- to support those most vulnerable across Canada, including right here in Toronto. These new homes will provide stability and safety to their residents and are another way our National Housing Strategy is ensuring no one is left behind.”
