On 14th July, Mayor John Tory, along with Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, Attorney General of Canada and Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Rouge Park , Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão (Davenport), Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, and Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), marked the official opening of 22 newly-renovated affordable homes that will provide 24/7 on-site supports for tenants at 4626 Kingston Rd.
The construction of a new five-storey modular building at the same location that will create 64 additional affordable and supportive homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
Both buildings will include studio apartments with private bathrooms and kitchenettes. Tenants will also have access to shared facilities in the modular housing building, including laundry, a communal area, a commercial kitchen, a dining area and programming space.
Once the modular building is complete, 86 new, safe, affordable homes with supports will be provided at 4626 Kingston Rd. The homes will be dedicated to seniors, youth and people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The new modular building is being completed with federal Rapid Housing Initiative funding and support from the City of Toronto, including Open Door incentives to waive development charges and planning and building permit fees.
Fred Victor, a multi-service charitable organization that has worked to improve the health, income and housing stability of people experiencing poverty and homelessness in Toronto for over 125 years, was selected to operate and provide support services at 4626 Kingston Rd. They will provide 24/7 on-site staffing, health care, health-related services and community development programs. Fred Victor has over 35 years of experience owning and operating affordable and supportive housing for people who have experienced homelessness.
The City acquired the property at 4626 Kingston Rd. in 2021. The project received capital funding from the federal government under Phase One of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). RHI funding allows the City to effectively respond to the urgent need for more affordable and supportive housing by providing a rapid, dignified response that connects people experiencing and at risk of homelessness with homes and appropriate supports to help them achieve housing stability. Recently, the Government of Ontario committed to providing $27 million in operating funding for the support services delivered at the City’s new supportive homes, including the Kingston Road location.
RHI is delivered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) under the National Housing Strategy (NHS). The RHI was launched in October 2020 to help address the urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians, especially in the context of COVID-19, through the rapid construction of affordable and supportive housing. The second Phase of RHI was announced in July 2021. Across Phase 1 and 2, the City has received over $400 million to create almost 1,000 new affordable and supportive homes. Due to this success, an additional $1.5 billion for the RHI was announced through Budget 2021.
In late 2020, as an urgent response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City launched a 24-month COVID-19 Housing and Homelessness Response Plan to provide 3,000 new affordable housing opportunities, including 2,000 new supportive homes and 1,000 Housing Benefits. The City is on track to exceed these targets and create over 3,300 new affordable and supportive housing opportunities over 2021 and 2022. Building supportive housing ensures people in need have access to good quality, safe, affordable homes and are supported to stay in their homes and meet their personal goals.
Since 2020, the City of Toronto has led the development of almost 1,000 new supportive homes at 12 locations across the city.
RHI is just one way the City is addressing the need for more affordable housing options in Toronto. The HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan 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.
