The city of Toronto has been making moves to create supportive and affordable housing this week. Thanks to a new affordable housing initiative with a time limit on its funds, the city is attempting to tackle the ever-growing housing crisis we have in our city. Two buildings have been bought by the city with an announcement that they will be converted into 334 affordable and supportive housing units.
222 Spadina Ave was once the location of the iconic Super 8 by Wyndham. It was bought out for $22.3 million of federal funds and is expected to provide 84 units with a range of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Additionally, the units will have integrated supports such as employment assistance, health care services and connections to certain programs for residents in need.
The Super 8 has been used as a temporary shelter space for the past year as Covid-19 ravaged the world. With travel restricted, the need for shelter beds has exploded across the city. Organisations such as Covenant House have stepped in to try to help.
The second location is in Rosedale and was a former seniors’ home that now stands empty. This building is expected to provide another 250 units for Toronto’s vulnerable populations such as Indigenous residents, seniors living with disabilities, people at risk of or going through homelessness and women.
The city hopes to rapidly convert these two locations into affordable housing for the communities. They aim to have them available within the year, hopefully move in ready by December, as well as being labelled affordable housing for a minimum of 99 years. While the time frame is short, no major construction work has begun nor is expected yet. The Super 8 will continue to be a temporary shelter until construction is ready to begin in June. Once construction begins, those living in the shelter will be moved to a temporary location.
This is an incredible development for our vulnerable populations as well as an amazing step forward for the city of Toronto. We look forward to seeing more projects like this underway. The city is expected to fund an additional 10 programs with its funds.