Supportive housing should play ‘critical’ role in city’s 10-year plan, says board of health

Lauren Pelley · CBC News ·  Feb 26, 2019

As the city develops a new 10-year housing plan, board of health chair Joe Cressy is calling for that planning to happen through a public health lens — with a focus on building more supportive housing for people with mental health and addiction issues.

“Having adequate, appropriate housing — with the supports that allow people to enjoy good health — it’s super important as far as public health is concerned,” echoed De Villa.

One 2018 report using data from The Access Point, the coordinated access system for supportive housing in Toronto, stressed the demand for supportive housing “far outstrips supply,” with more than 4,000 new applicants over a recent two-year period and fewer than 600 placements.

 

[Bulletin: calls for housing by the City of Toronto often include a call to the Province and Federal government to help fund. Who is ultimately responsible and who will actually follow through? There is no time to wait for all of the governments to agree and act.]

Waiting will lead to more condos and no space for supportive housing.