Feds provide funding for 43 supportive housing units in Toronto

The federal government has provided funding to build 43 new supportive homes in Toronto.

The announcement was made Monday by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow alongside Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien, and City Councillor for Toronto Centre Chris Moise.

This round of funding, which makes up the third phase of the federal Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI), will be allocated to non-profit and public-led housing developments including, but not limited to, those at 7 Vanualey St. and 393 Dundas St. E.

“Through the Rapid Housing Initiative, we are making investments to ensure that Canadians here in Toronto and across the country have access to safe and affordable housing that meets their needs,“ Ien said in a statement included in a release.

“This means working with partners like the City of Toronto to make sure that people battling addiction, 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, Black and racialized people, people with disabilities and women and children fleeing gender-based violence have a safe place to call home.”

At Vanualey Street, the homes will be operated by the YMCA, while those on Dundas will be run by St. Jude’s Community Homes. Both locations will include private studio apartments that have a kitchenette and bathroom.

According to the city, more funding is expected from the federal government as part of Phase 3 of the RHI.

In October, a report prepared by city staff called for a multi-billion dollar plan to add 65,000 affordable homes in the city by 2030 and for the province to extend rent control to cover units built after November 2018.

Other asks of the province included in the report are as follows:

• Allocating land to develop new purpose-built affordable and market rental homes;
• Allocating between $500 million and $800 million per year in grant funding to Toronto over the next 7 years;
• Allocating $6.5 billion in low-cost financing and $8 billion re-payable loans to Toronto over the next 7 years; and
• Immediately waiving the PST on all purpose-built rental housing projects.