Item - 2020.PH16.8

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse the Housing and People Action Plan, in Attachment 1 and the COVID-19 Interim Shelter Recovery Strategy in Attachment 2 to the report (September 8, 2020) from the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration as the framework for prioritization of the City's Intergovernmental advocacy work on housing and homelessness over the next 24 months, and to complement the City's HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan.

2. City Council urgently request that the Federal and Provincial governments support the City's 24-month plan in Attachment 3 to the report (September 8, 2020) from the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to deliver 3,000 affordable rental and supportive homes comprised of:

a.  1,000 permanent modular homes;

b. 1,000 new homes through acquisitions, renovations and "shovel ready" projects; and

c. 1,000 additional new portable (and flexible) Canada-Ontario Housing Benefits (COHB) to help households secure housing available for rent in Toronto and across the region.

3. City Council request the Provincial and Federal Governments to urgently allocate funding for additional mental health care, and a continuum of substance use treatment and overdose prevention supports delivered by health and community partners, as part of an integrated enhanced service model to meet the increasingly complex needs of individuals that are currently experiencing homelessness to help transition them into permanent housing.

4. City Council direct the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to report to the October 20, 2020 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee on a plan shift future capital and operating funding from shelters to create permanent supportive housing and to include the plan as part of the 2021 Capital and Operating Budget submission.

 
5. City Council direct the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, in consultation with the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration and CreateTO to develop an affordable housing acquisitions strategy to support the City's COVID-19 Housing and Homelessness Recovery Response Plan, and to report back to the October 20, 2020 meeting of the Planning and Housing Committee with recommendations to activate the strategy to take advantage of the federal Rapid Housing Initiative and ensure that the City is well-positioned to move quickly to acquire properties for people experiencing homelessness.

6. City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to consult with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Finance on opportunities to improve the customer service experience for both applicants and recipients of all Provincially funded and administered housing allowance programs.

The Planning and Housing Committee:

1. Directed the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat to report directly to City Council at its meeting of September 30 and October 1, 2020 to outline the process that will give unsolicited inquiries from property owners their due consideration as part of any plan to obtain 1,000 new homes through acquisitions, renovations and "shovel ready" projects for the City's Housing and People Action Plan.

The Executive Director, Housing Secretariat gave a presentation on Addressing Housing and Homelessness Issues in Toronto through Intergovernmental Partnerships.

In December 2019, City Council adopted the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan to address housing and homelessness challenges in the City of Toronto. The HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan, which is premised on intergovernmental partnerships, has an ambitious aim to help over 340,000 households through the approval of over 40,000 new affordable rental homes, including 18,000 supportive housing units over the next 10 years. It also proposes a range of actions to increase housing stability for Toronto residents.

As part of Council's approval, staff were directed to establish an Intergovernmental Working Group with the federal and provincial governments to develop a six-month action plan to address the urgent issue of homelessness in the City. On February 20, 2020, City Council further directed staff to establish an Inter-divisional Working Group and work with stakeholders to develop a six-month action plan to address homelessness. 

Due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, the formal working groups were delayed and are now in the process of being established. However, staff have been actively engaged and working with all orders of government, and across City divisions, agencies and corporations to respond to the pandemic and lay the foundation for recovery. These partnership efforts have focused on supporting our most vulnerable and marginalized residents, including a significant expansion of the emergency shelter system to create spaces for physical distancing and isolation and moving clients from the shelter system into permanent housing where possible.

This report provides an update on some of the actions taken to date in response to the pandemic. It provides also provides a summary of the Housing and People Action Plan developed by the Mayor's Recovery Task Force as well as the joint Shelter Support and Housing Administration (SSHA)/United Way of Greater Toronto (UWGT) COVID-19 Interim Shelter Recovery Strategy. These reports' recommendations are aligned and support the request for a new tri-government partnership to expedite investments under the National Housing Strategy and other programs to accelerate the actions of the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan, and support a 24-month plan for the delivery of 3,000 affordable and supportive homes as part of recovery planning. Both documents provide a roadmap for governments to address housing and homelessness challenges now while concurrently taking action to pivot away from emergency measures towards stable permanent housing solutions as part of recovery. The actions in both reports complement and support the goals of the City's HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan.