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Nine-unit residence fills need for a safe and supportive home
The need for affordable housing is acute throughout Canada and so too is the need for new and creative ways to solve the city of Toronto’s homelessness problem.
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One example of the latter occurred late last month when real estate developer MOD Developments held a ground-breaking ceremony that marked the start of construction of a housing residence located at 218 Carlton St.
Once completed in early 2024, the nine-unit residence will be operated by Na-Me-Res, a charitable organization that provides outreach, temporary, transitional, and permanent housing to Indigenous men.
While the cost of the project has not been released, plans call for the renovation of a Victorian mansion located in Cabbagetown that was built in 1877 to contain multi-unit bachelor and one-bedroom apartments.
According to Gary Switzer, the CEO of MOD, discussions first began in 2019 soon after zoning approvals for its current residential development at 55 Charles St. E. took place, at which time the company suggested getting involved in a non-profit housing project.
What made it unique, he said, is that instead of paying a community benefits charge (CBC) that is mandatory under Section 37 of the Planning Act, which any builder with a project of at least five storeys height and containing at least 10 residential units must do, plans were put in place to purchase an existing building instead.
With the support of Krystn Wong-Tam, Ward 13 councillor at the time and the current MPP for the riding of Toronto-Centre, a Plan B came into being.
“Most of the time they (the city) ask for cash and in this case, we knew that they were going to be asking us for a certain amount of money,” said Switzer. “We felt that it would be more meaningful as opposed to just writing a cheque.
“We worked with the councillor, and she liked the idea of doing non-profit housing. The city would own the building and choose which group would go into this building.”
What followed was the issuing of a request for proposal from the city’s housing department in which Na-Me-Res was selected to run the new housing unit.
Switzer, meanwhile, “said the one point that I would like to get across is that as a developer, you do not just want to write a cheque and have the money disappear because the city has a lot of cash that they’re sitting on from all of these (CBCs) that have not been spent.
“The provision of housing for everyone is fundamental. That we can accomplish this by preserving a heritage house and create new housing in a sustainable way through renovation is an additional benefit.”
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Steve Clark, provincial minister of municipal affairs and housing, described the project as a “great example of the important work being done by community groups and builders in Ontario.
“I trust that once complete, it will be an important addition to Toronto’s housing stock and a critical resource for Indigenous men in need of a safe and supportive home.”
