About us

Who we are

Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) is the largest social housing provider in Canada and the second largest in North America. We are wholly owned by the City of Toronto and operate in​ a non-profit manner. TCHC represents a $9 billion public asset.

TCHC houses tenants in 106 of Toronto's 158 neighbourhoods, providing homes to over 43,000 low and moderate-income households. Our 89,000 residents come from many different backgrounds with a diversity in age, education, language, mental and physical disability, religion, ethnicity and race: 

  • 38 per cent of residents are children and youth, 37 per cent are adults, and 25 per cent are seniors (aged 59+)
  • 90 per cent of households pay rent-geared-to-income (RGI), with most RGI rent assessed at 30 per cent of gross income
  • 28 per cent of households are single parent families
  • 52% of households reported having at least one member with a disability. Some households may have more than 1 type of disability in the home.

TCHC receives most of our operating funding from rent paid by residents (55 per cent) and from subsidies from the City of Toronto (39 per cent). The remaining 6 per cent of operating funding comes from rental of commercial spaces; parking, laundry and cable fees; and income from investments.

How we got started 

TCHC was created by the City of Toronto on January 1, 2002, with the amalgamation of the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Corporation (formerly Metro Toronto Housing Authority, which managed the provincial public housing units in the city) and the Toronto Housing Company (a merger in 1999 of the Metropolitan Toronto Housing Company Ltd. and the City of Toronto Non Profit Housing Corporation, also known then as Cityhome).

Our mission

Our core business is to provide clean, safe, well-maintained, affordable homes for residents. Through collaboration and with residents' needs at the forefront, we connect residents to services and opportunities, and help foster great neighbourhoods where people can thrive. Learn more about our mission.

How we operate

The City of Toronto is the sole shareholder, as mandated by the Province of Ontario's Housing Services Act. As our shareholder, the City provides us with a Shareholder Direction, which outlines the fundamental principles that govern our business. In addition to this Shareholder Direction, motions passed at City Council are considered Directions that also govern our work. 
 
The City of Toronto is also our service manager under the delegated authority of the provincial Housing Services Act. Their role as service manager is managed through the Housing Secretariat, and governed by an Operating Agreement and its amendments (2003, January 2007, July 2007). 

TCHC is run by a 13-member Board of Directors​ (the Board) appointed by the City of Toronto. The Board is made up of: 

  • three City Councillors 
  • the Mayor or someone representing the Mayor​ 
  • ten citizen members, including three elected TCHC residents ​ 

​​The Board oversees the management of TCHC and monitors its performance against its strategic plan. The Board is accountable to the City of Toronto (its sole shareholder) through presentation of its business plan, annual reports, financial statements and rolling four-year strategic plan.​