Although there are thousands of names  on the waiting list for affordable housing  in the City of Toronto, Mayor John Tory  remains optimistic that ” the  situation will improve in 2021″

In a recent interview with The Caribbean Camera,Tory noted that the problem of homelessness is eventually going to be solved by the building of more affordable and supportive housing units.

“And we are doing that.”

Over the next 24 months, the City of Toronto will  be utilizing the recently announced Federal Rapid Housing Initiative to create 3,000 new units of housing.

Tory said the Initiative ” shows the way that you could finally address the affordable housing issue.

“Through this Initiative money is provided directly to the city which is a huge plus because it avoids the bureaucracy and delay of the provinces.”

Tory also noted that last April, the City launched  its Modular Housing Initiative that will open 100 new supportive homes by the end of the year.

In 2021, an additional 150 modular supportive homes will also be created for people experiencing homelessness, he said.

Mayor Tory also noted that  the City of Toronto continues to take “extraordinary steps”  to help and protect people experiencing homelessness during the current  COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that since the start of the pandemic, the City has moved “at unprecedented speed”  to adjust its services for those experiencing homelessness. .”

“We had to move and have successfully moved 3,000 people from shelters that did not allow for physical distancing. 

” So far in 2020, the City has also referred more than 2,500 people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing through a combination of housing allowances and rent-geared-to-income units, representing a 50 per cent increase over the same period last year.”

He said there are now more than 6,000 shelter spaces in Toronto.

Tory also said that the the City’s Streets to Homes team and partner agencies ” continue to work hard to support people living outside and to connect them with safer, indoor spaces including, shelters, housing and hotels. ”

The City has helped more than 1,100 people ” move inside” from encampments since the pandemic began.

 Tory  pointed out that the City’s  programs in shelters, hotels, and transitional and supportive housing, “also include medical supports, like mental health and addiction counselling, meals, clean linen and access to showers, to ensure people don’t return to living outside.”

“Providing safe indoor space, including permanent and affordable housing is the appropriate and dignified response to help people experiencing homelessness,” Tory noted.

“The City will continue its efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of every Toronto resident, ” he said.