December 19^th, 2003

 

BLUEPRINT TO END HOMELESSNESS

 

Toronto is facing a severe affordable housing crisis and homelessness disaster. There is no one simple solution or quick fix. We need a comprehensive strategy that engages all levels of government, and the social and private sectors. We need a comprehensive blueprint that sets the overall direction, with attention to specific priorities. And we need a strong political commitment from all levels of government.

 

To address this crisis, we need not just more housing, but AFFORDABLE housing. Together, we can end homelessness and ease the affordable housing crisis in Toronto with concerted action.

 

 

Shelters – It’s about Saving Lives

1.      1000 new shelter beds immediately to “meet the need.”

2.      Immediate opening of the Moss Park and Fort York Armouries.

3.      Additional funding to public health and for capital improvements in the shelter system to deal with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and the flu, other health issues, and infestations such as bed bugs, lice, etc.

4.      Rescind the current moratorium on new shelters in downtown wards 27 and 28.

5.      Bring back the municipal shelter by-law for reconsideration by City Council and remove the restrictions that limit shelters to major arterial roads and outline how closely they can be built to one another.

6.      Regularly inspect shelters to ensure they meet the new shelter standards and ensure that shelter operators have access to the capital and operating resources to meet standards. **

7.      Encourage the development of hostel services that meet the specific needs of abused women, street youth, consumer survivors, seniors and substance users and ensure better street outreach support services. **

 

 

 

Eviction Prevention – It’s about Stability

8.      Provide an additional $25,000 funding for the Tenant Defence Fund, to help tenants fight above guideline rent increases. **

9.      Restructure the City’s Rent Bank program so that social assistance recipients, seniors and low-income, working single people, as well as families, can access the interest-free loans to repay rental arrears. **

10.  Enhance city services that match tenants to suitable rental housing. **

11.  Increase funding for the Hostel Outreach Program.

 

 

 

 

Housing – It’s about Investing in Communities

12.  Top up existing SCPI and RRAP monies by restoring municipal funding for affordable housing and emergency services for homeless people.

13.  Build 1,000 units of new affordable housing and 1,000 units of new supportive housing units each year (as a minimum). **

14.  Within one month of taking office (that would be January 2^nd), convene a meeting with the Federal and Provincial governments, representatives of the co-operative and non-profit housing sector, city housing officials, and representatives of the building and development industries to develop a financing package that will get affordable housing construction underway. **

15.  Create an office of Rapid Housing Development to ensure the city gets new projects off the ground as fast as possible. **

16.  Create a new senior city staff position as Facilitator of Homelessness and Housing Initiatives (the number one recommendation of the Golden Task Force and one that has never been implemented by the city)

17.  Remove the arbitrary $10 million hard cap on city land that can be used for affordable housing. **

18.  Encourage the renovation and retrofitting of abandoned and surplus buildings to create affordable and supportive housing by deferring development fees, improving city zoning and planning regulations, and using other creative ideas. **

19.  Create a city task force on rehabilitating existing housing stock to survey aging rental housing (both private and social stock) and implement a long-term strategy to ensure rental housing is maintained to proper standards.

20.  More funding for building inspectors.

21.  Develop a win-win consultation process that addresses NIMBYism (Not in my Back Yard syndrome) without slowing shelter and affordable housing development. **

 

 

A New Deal for Toronto

22.  Work with the mayors of Ontario and Canada’s large cities to push the federal and provincial government to:

 

- Federal and Provincial

v     Implement a fully-funded, comprehensive national housing strategy by adopting the 1% Solution - $2 billion annually, with matching funding from the provinces and territories.

v     Restore the federal Minister of housing to his former cabinet-level position.

v     Break the logjam around the Affordable Housing Program and ensure that new housing will be affordable to low and moderate-income households. **

v     Adopt a comprehensive income and employment policy to address the growing poverty of low-income renter households that includes progressive changes to employment insurance and other federal income assistance programs.

 

- Provincial

v     Honour the promise to fund 20,000 new affordable housing units over the next four years by matching federal funding under the current federal/provincial housing framework agreement.

v     Immediate funding of 1000 emergency rent supplements by April 30th, to get people off the streets and alleviate overcrowding in the shelters.

v     Fund the remaining 34,000 rent supplements that were promised, including a commitment for long-term funding.

v     As part of a fully-funded, national housing strategy, implement a provincial housing strategy by adopting the 1% Solution - $900 million annually. Provincial funding should include funding for new social housing, additional rent supplements and more supportive housing.

v     Restore a “housing-first” policy for surplus provincial lands, plus restore a housing policy statement that ensures that truly affordable housing will be part of any new development in Ontario.

v     Restore effective rent regulation and tenant protection laws. **

v     Follow-up with Provincial Health Minister George Smitherman to ensure he works with the City to develop an action plan to implement the 14,000 new supportive housing units for people with mental health issues that was recommended in Michael Wilson’s recently released report. **

v     Give Toronto “increased power” to control conversions of rental housing units into condominiums to protect existing affordable housing. **

v     Implement a comprehensive income and employment policy that includes progressive changes to social assistance and the minimum wage.

 

 

** Indicates the campaign promises David Miller made in his Housing Policy, available

     on his website at www.millerformayor.ca/policieshousing.htm