The province of Ontario is investing about $2-million in annual operating funding for a five-storey modular housing building in Scarborough with units prioritized for people experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.

The 57 unit building is part of the City of Toronto’s Modular Housing Initiative, a program aimed at increasing the supply of affordable housing across the city. 

All units in the building will be fully furnished and include a kitchen and bathroom. Twenty of the homes are barrier-free. 

Associate Minister of Housing Rob Flack made the announcement this morning, on National Housing Day, with the funding coming through the province’s Homelessness Prevention Program.

Flack said National Housing Day is a chance to reiterate the government’s commitment to build more homes of all types across Ontario. “Supportive and affordable housing is a key part of that plan, as is the use of modular housing and other innovative solutions that use high-speed homebuilding to help people find homes faster,” he said.

In a release, the province says it is investing an additional $202 million each year in homelessness prevention programs – the Homelessness Prevention Program and Indigenous Supportive Housing Program – bringing Ontario’s total yearly investment to close to $700 million. This includes an increase of $48 million through HPP for the City of Toronto, bringing the city’s total funding to more than $217 million annually.

Mayor Olivia Chow says projects like the modular homes in Scarborough reflect the importance of combining an affordable home with the right supports to help people who are exiting homelessness stay housed and improve their lives. “This kind of partnership between the federal, provincial and municipal governments, in collaboration with non-profit housing providers, is what we need more of in Toronto.”