2024.PH10.2

Background

Multi-tenant housing, also known as rooming housing, is an essential part of the city as it provides housing for students, seniors, and people leaving homelessness. The City of Toronto wants to protect these homes and improve the living conditions of its tenants. Currently, many of these multi-tenant housing buildings need upgrades and repairs to meet building, fire, and zoning rules. Without assistance, these buildings are at risk of shutting down. The city will set aside $2 million to help fund the Multi-Tenant Houses Renovation Program, where building owners who accept these funds must keep rent affordable and continue to operate as licensed rooming houses for at least 15 years.

Source: City of Toronto

Item Description

The Housing Secretariat can enter into agreements with building owners on behalf of the city. The Housing Secretariat must clearly state how the money is spent, how the renovations are done, and how the building must continue to operate.

Buildings partaking in the Multi-Tenant Houses Renovation Program can have their planning application free and the building permit fees waived.

The city is also asking other levels of government, such as the federal and provincial governments, to invest more money in modernizing rooming housing while also expanding the program by buying or protecting at-risk buildings.

Source: City of Toronto

Proposed by

Executive Director, Housing Secretariat