Tenant relief needed now as repair backlog grows to $751 million

TORONTO, Feb. 10, 2012 - Toronto Community Housing's State of Good Repair Plan will benefit more than 55,000 families in every ward of the city.

Figures released today show how Toronto Community Housing would use the $222 million that would be raised from the proposed sale of stand-alone units to fix multi-unit buildings and improve the lives of 94 per cent of its tenant households. Many of these tenants currently live in substandard housing.

Critical repairs needed to keep buildings safe and operational would be the primary focus of the planned repairs. That includes:

• Major structural repairs like fixing crumbling beams, load-bearing walls, roofs and ceilings: $169.6 million ($169,574,066)
  
• Essential building component repairs like repairing and replacing furnaces, hot water boilers, plumbing, elevators, fire alarm systems and water treatment systems: $36.3 million ($36,306,486)
  
• Foundation repairs to keep our buildings standing on a safe footing: $16.1 million ($16,118,709)
  

The need for action has never been greater. Toronto Community Housing's capital repair bill has grown to $751 million for 2012, up from $650 million in 2011.

The repair backlog increase is the result of new repair needs outpacing Toronto Community Housing's ability to invest. In 2011, $72 million was invested in capital repairs in multi-residential buildings, but the repair backlog grew because $173 million in new repair needs emerged. Without new funding, Toronto Community Housing's state of repair and the negative impact on tenants will only get worse. The repair backlog is expected to grow by $100 million a year, reaching $1 billion by 2015.

QUOTE

"Toronto Community Housing has too many tenants living in buildings that are falling apart because we can't afford to fix them. This must change. By selling the 675 stand-alone properties, at least $222 million will be raised to provide tenants with better housing. Two principles will guide us: sales proceeds will be used strictly for capital repairs and tenants asked to move will be well taken care of. Saying ‘no' will hurt 160,000 tenants. Saying ‘yes' puts real change in motion to improve tenants' lives."

KEY FACTS

• Toronto Community Housing inherited a $300-million capital repair backlog when the Ontario government downloaded the responsibility for social housing, but didn't provide the money needed to bring the buildings up to a good state of repair.
• Since 2002, Toronto Community Housing has invested $1.1 billion in capital repairs to improve its housing and tenant quality of life. A further investment of $48.6 million is planned for 2012.
• Despite these record investments, Toronto Community Housing now has a
  $751-million capital repair backlog (2012).

LEARN MORE

• Download detailed ward-by-ward breakdowns
• Get the facts about Toronto Community Housing's State of Good Repair Plan by logging on to our website at http://www.torontohousing.ca/state_good_repair
• Follow Toronto Community Housing on Twitter (@TOHousing) to get all the latest information about the State of Good Repair Plan and other news and events

ABOUT TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSING

Toronto Community Housing (www.torontohousing.ca) is Canada's largest social housing provider and home to more than 164,000 tenants with low and moderate incomes-about six per cent of Toronto's population. Toronto Community Housing and its subsidiaries employ 1,400 staff in a broad range of jobs, who deliver its mission to provide affordable housing, connect tenants to services and opportunities, and work together to build healthy communities.

MEDIA CONTACT

Sinead Canavan
Toronto Community Housing media relations
416-981-4346
Sinead.canavan@torontohousing.ca