Naming of 39 Dundalk Drive as Domenica Place - by Councillor Michael Thompson, seconded by Mayor Olivia Chow

The residents of Ward 21 and their City Councillor Michael Thompson have embraced this housing initiative as an essential addition to the mix of housing desperately needed across all areas of the City. The plight of Toronto's homeless population became obvious and clear to Scarborough Centre residents and Councillor Thompson when they frequently engaged with a homeless woman named Domenica outside the local Highland Farms near Ellesmere and Kennedy Road. Domenica refused housing in the City's shelter system because, she said, it didn't give her a dignified life. Construction began in 2022 on the Dundalk Drive residences and the units were delivered in November 2023, thanks to inter-governmental co-operation and the City of Toronto's push to deliver affordable housing at record numbers. Housing First and other agencies will provide 24/7 wrap-around support for the new residents - assistance that promises a "dignified" home for its tenants, as Domenica desired. This item is deemed urgent as it is part of the buildings final stages of completion not wanting to create any further delay.