Two sites picked for modular housing
Mayor says new apartments will get ‘affordable, supportive housing to people’ more quickly
The city has selected two sites to build modular homes as part of Toronto’s affordable housing plan and is on track to move the first 100 people into them as early as the fall, Mayor John Tory said Tuesday.
The site of the former 14 Division police station, at150 Harrison St. in Ward 9, has been recommended for phase one of the modular housing initiative, featuring 44 bachelor apartments. Also in phase one: 11 Macey Ave., near Victoria Park Ave. and Danforth Ave. in Ward 20, has been recommended as the site for 56 bachelor apartments.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Tory said the two city-owned sites were selected after an extensive evaluation of local demand for affordable housing, existing local infrastructure and proximity to public transit, access to health and other community services, and zoning and planning considerations.
While online community consultations on building-site design will be scheduled soon, Tory stressed that quick site selection is an integral part of completing the projects on time.
“It will allow us to get affordable, supportive housing to people as quickly as we ever have,” he said.
Tory said the projects are still in the design phase.
The prefabricated homes will be made at a factory in Ontario and transported to the sites for assembly. Manufacturing is slated to begin at the end of June and site construction is scheduled for midJuly.
Tory praised the federal government for its financial contribution through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and, in particular, the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund, a national $200-million program to encourage innovative building techniques in the sector.
He called on the province to step up financially as well, pointing out that housing people currently living on the streets and providing them with social supports is part of the health-care continuum, a provincial responsibility.
Deputy mayor Ana Bailao, councillor for Ward 9 (Davenport) and chair of the city’s planning and housing committee, said that the cost of keeping someone in modular housing, with social service supports, is $2,000 a month, compared to $4,000 a month for a shelter bed and $6,000 for a shelter bed during the COVID-19 crisis.
The program is aimed at providing a dignified response to the problem of homelessness, said Ward 20 Coun. Gary Crawford (Scarborough Southwest).
“We know there are Scarborough residents that are experiencing homelessness,” Crawford said. “This program is aiming to provide the supports to encourage successful connections to the community.”