Affordable Housing for Single Mothers

Becky Robertson reports: "The City of Toronto has taken on a unique new venture that will see dozens of affordable housing units reserved for members of a vulnerable group that most needs them: single mothers."

"A total of 34 two- and three-bedroom rental apartments in a forthcoming residential development called EVOLV in Regent Park will be specially dedicated to the demographic, with rents capped at 80 per cent of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)'s average market rent."

The development will operate under a partnership between the city, local charity WoodGreen Community Services, Sun Life Financial, and the Daniels Corporation—the latter is the develop of the building.

Support services will also be provided to qualifying residents through programs already provided by WoodGreen. Residents are expected to start moving in later this spring.

"The city of Toronto, meanwhile, is giving $5.1 million to the initiative through a federal-provincial funding allocation and has also contributed just over $720,000 toward the affordability of the units by providing incentives — waived property taxes for 40 years," according to a separate article on the subject by Donovan Vincent. Vincent's reporting includes more details about the rest of the EVOLV building, which rises 29 stories in the neighborhood of Regent Park in Toronto, and the central role of the Daniels Corporation in a "massive 15-year revitalization" of Regent Park (the complete transformation of the surrounding blocks since 2014 is strikingly visible on Google Streetview).