Tronto – Mayor Olivia Chow officially marked the creation of 92 newly-renovated, permanent, rent-geared-to-income and supportive homes at 65 Dundas St. E. that now provide a warm, safe place for individuals formerly experiencing homelessness in the Downtown East to call home. This is the latest of several steps the City is taking to prioritize the creation of new rent-geared-to-income homes with supports as a response to the urgent need for new supportive housing.
This project is the largest shelter to housing conversion undertaken in Toronto, following other successful projects at 1430 Gerrard St. E., and 224 Spadina Ave., completed in 2021 and 2023.
These new homes were created through the acquisition and first phase of renovations at 65 Dundas St. E. (formerly the Bond Place Hotel). This property was leased by the City as a temporary shelter as an urgent response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide additional space for physical distancing and respond to rising demand. In 2022 with federal funding under the Rapid Housing Initiative the City acquired the property, to undertake renovations and convert the shelter program into approximately 280 new permanent rental homes in the Downtown East. Once complete in Spring 2025, the building will offer homes for people earning a range of incomes and in need of an affordable home.
The renovated building includes new studio and one-bedroom apartments with a private bathroom and kitchenette and at least 15 per cent of the apartments will be accessible. Residents also have access to indoor amenity spaces such as shared laundry, a dining area, large communal, programming and tenant support spaces.
Advancing the Downtown East Action Plan
The creation of new supportive and affordable homes at 65 Dundas St. E. advances City Council’s commitments to provide increased supports for people experiencing marginalization and homelessness in the Downtown East neighbourhood, by providing deeply affordable housing with supports that will improve their health and well-being. The project will also enable the creation of mixed-income complete communities in the Downtown East area by providing affordable rental homes to renters on a range of incomes, including in the remaining 188 homes currently under renovation.
The City has partnered with Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services to create these new homes. Dixon Hall will lease and manage the building over a near 50-year term, and provide wrap-around support services to residents of the supportive homes. Having served residents of the Downtown East area for more than 90 years, Dixon Hall specializes in working with at-risk youth, seniors, adults with physical and mental disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, individuals searching for employment, those with mental health diagnoses, and newly immigrated individuals and their families.
Dixon Hall is working with other community-based service and health care providers such as MMAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and the Inner City Health Associates to ensure residents of 65 Dundas St. E. have access to a range of supports that meet their needs. Tenants can get access to health and wellness services such as medical and mental health care, education, training and employment opportunities, life skills training and supports, meals and food security programs, as well as help to access income assistance.
More information on the renovation of 65 Dundas St. E. can be found on the City’s website.
Intergovernmental partnership
The City received more than $123 million in capital funding from the Government of Canada through the first and second rounds of the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) to support the purchase and renovation of 65 Dundas St. E. The City supported this project through its own capital funding, and by providing financial incentives and relief from property taxes, estimated at $9.5 million. Finally, the Provincial government has provided $3.57 million in operating funding for wraparound support services to this project as part of its three-year commitment of $48 million made in 2023 towards supportive housing.
The City is currently providing accommodations to more than 12,200 people experiencing homelessness, and this figure continues to rise due to the rising housing affordability crisis. The need for affordable and supportive rental housing in Toronto remains urgent. The City is committed to addressing this gap through its HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan (HousingTO Plan), with targets to deliver 65,000 new rent-controlled homes including 41,000 affordable rental, 6,500 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) and 17,500 rent-controlled homes.
While the City is taking action to accelerate the creation of affordable rental housing, it needs additional and significant funding from other orders of government to meet the needs of Torontonians and future residents. The City continues to request approximately $7.6 to $8.1 billion in funding and $6.4 to $7 billion in low-cost financing from the federal government, and approximately $9.1 to $9.6 billion in funding and $6.4 to $7 billion in financing from the Province of Ontario to achieve the HousingTO targets over the next six years.
The City has also requested the provincial government to renew its $48 million operating funding commitment for another three years to ensure the ongoing stability of support services in over 3,000 existing supportive homes in Toronto. As well, the City has requested the Province to provide an additional $12 million in 2025 and annually thereafter for housing benefits and wraparound housing and social supports for over 300 new supportive homes funded and under construction in 2024.
More information on the City’s housing targets is available on the HousingTO Plan dashboard.
“65 Dundas isn’t just an address, it’s a beacon of hope for those previously unhoused. It’s an example of the power of what can happen when we work together to address some of our city’s biggest challenges, like the housing crisis. From starting as a temporary pandemic shelter, to now being a place that 92 residents can permanently call home – with 280 affordable rental homes by spring 2025 – this has been an incredible journey. Projects such as 65 Dundas St. E. demonstrate how partnerships between various orders of government and housing providers such as Dixon Hall can deliver innovative solutions that address the most urgent challenges of our time.” – Mayor Olivia Chow