Improving Outcomes for Toronto Residents through Implementation of HousingTO 2020-2030

HousingTO ultimately seeks to end chronic homelessness, address housing inequity and instability, and improve the health and socio-economic outcomes for people and the environment over the next ten years. Signifying the City's leadership on housing issues and solidifying its commitment to improve outcomes for residents by 2030, Toronto is the first city in Canada to adopt a policy to further the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing through HousingTO and the revised Toronto Housing Charter. The establishment of the role or function of Housing Commissioner to oversee implementation of HousingTO and the Toronto Housing Charter will be a key component of implementing the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing in Toronto, as outlined in the HousingTO Plan. Subsequent to adopting HousingTO, in January 2020, through Item Number EC11.5, staff were directed to report to Council in the third quarter of 2020 on steps required to end chronic homelessness and include details on the status of chronic homelessness; existing inter-governmental financial support for ending chronic homelessness; and recommendations on programmatic, staffing and budgetary changes required to end homelessness. This report responds to Council's request and provides a robust HousingTO Implementation Plan for Council's consideration. This Implementation Plan reflects a human rights-based approach to the implementation of HousingTO, and is ultimately geared towards helping those most in need and eliminating chronic homelessness over the next decade. The Implementation Plan also shows the progress made to-date on developing the framework for establishing the Housing Commissioner's role or function, in collaboration with human rights experts and City staff. While the overall strategies and actions in the HousingTO Plan remain relevant despite the current COVID-19 context, the pandemic's resulting socio-economic impacts on residents, the City's ongoing response, and the current municipal financial deficit have changed the context for implementing HousingTO. On the one hand, the pandemic has further emphasized the need for urgent investments in housing and expediting affordable housing delivery and on the other, it has created delays for projects, programs and policies along with significant financial constraints to implement some of the actions. Despite these challenges, the attached Implementation Plan presented for Council's consideration is a balanced approach. The Implementation Plan will help the City and the public to track all of the actions, targets and measures and will be used to monitor progress on the implementation of HousingTO over the next decade. The Implementation Plan also outlines the many actions that have been expedited or that are in progress. Additionally, it acknowledges that some actions have been delayed due to financial constraints, and will be addressed as part of the 2021 budget cycle for consideration and prioritization in light of the challenging financial context. Further, this report highlights the substantial progress made by the City in advancing the targets in HousingTO in 2020. Despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the City took several actions, including but not limited to, implementing modular supportive housing which will deliver an initial 100 permanent homes in the fall (plus another 150 homes in spring 2021); launching phase two of the Housing Now Initiative which will activate 6 new City-owned sites for affordable housing (a total of over 4,500 affordable rental housing units on 17 City sites will be developed); and moving 1,500 people from shelters into permanent housing through housing benefits. Including the Housing Now and Modular Housing Initiatives, there are over 65 projects currently in the City's affordable rental development pipeline which will add almost 9,000 new permanent affordable rental homes once completed. While the need to increase affordable housing opportunities for residents in the city was urgent preceding the pandemic, this need has become even more critical for all orders of government due to extensive loss of employment, heightened risks of evictions for households, the need for adequate housing to reduce spread of the virus, and the need to boost the economy. In addition, the pandemic has disproportionately impacted low-income racialized communities, seniors and women, signaling the need to address systemic and structural inequalities as part of our COVID-19 recovery plans. Delivery of HousingTO is expected to cost $23.4 billion over the next ten years and requires an approximate one-third contribution by the three orders of government. To-date, the City has committed almost 65% of its share. It is imperative that the federal and provincial governments also commit towards delivery of this plan particularly as governments prepare for potential future waves of the pandemic and focus efforts to help residents who are struggling with housing insecurity, inadequacy and unaffordability issues. As the pandemic has shown, now more than ever all orders of government need to coordinate resources, increase investments and focus on addressing the housing needs of residents, particularly those who are vulnerable and marginalized. In responding to COVID-19 and laying the foundation for a robust recovery through accelerating investments in HousingTO, there is a strong social and economic case to support increased investments in permanent housing with appropriate supports. Not only does permanent housing improve outcomes of individuals, it also reduces costs to the public sector and increases the resilience of health, housing and homelessness systems. Investments in permanent housing would also create employment opportunities helping to boost the economy at this critical time.

Council, beginning in 2021, outlining progress against the performance targets outlined in the HousingTO 2020-2030 Implementation Plan, including a summary of investments received from the federal and provincial governments towards delivery of HousingTO, and to propose any recommended changes to the targets based on changing conditions.