Ontario needs thousands of supportive housing units

Re Advocates call for better services in shelters,

respite centres, Jan. 9 Although the opening of more shelter beds and a call for expansion of mentalhealth and addiction services makes sense, targets need to be set to deliver more affordable and supportive housing.

Between 1975 and 1995, Ontario was producing 5,000 affordable and specialneeds housing units per year. Since then, very few new units have been created. The recently announced federal housing strategy is a good start, but the province and the city will need to step up and match the funding.

There are more than 13,600 people on the wait list for supportive housing in Toronto, up from 700 in 2009.

A plan has been submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Health to create 30,000 supportive housing units across the province over 10 years, at a cost of less than 1 per cent of the current health spending. Toronto would get at least 10,000 of these units.

This plan proposes development of 3,000 units per year, co-ordinated with municipal managers. It is doable. Let’s start this with an announcement in the upcoming provincial budget. There is no mental health without housing. Steve Lurie, CMHA, Toronto