Addition to Kingston Road building will provide 24 new affordable housing units for Indigenous community members
Beaches-East York will be adding 24 new affordable housing units to its growing stock as the City of Toronto marches on in the fight against a rising cost of living.
The latest addition is a development at 136 Kingston Rd. (north of Dundas Street East) built by Akwa Honsta Inc, a non-profit housing provider focused on offering rent-geared-to-income and market apartments to members of the Indigenous community.
“We need to be doing everything we can to build more housing for everyone who wants to call Toronto home,” said Beaches-East York Councillor Brad Bradford.
The development, which aims to serve senior members of the Indigenous community over the age of 59, has the financial assistance of the City of Toronto’s Open Door Affordable Housing Program, an initiative created in 2016 with a mandate to “accelerate affordable housing construction by providing City financial contributions including capital funding and fees and property tax relief, fast-tracking planning approvals, and activating surplus public land”.
The project also received assistance from the provincial government, and the federal government.
“I’m proud of the financial support from the city and other levels of government that helped make these new homes possible,” said Bradford.
Akwa Honsta’s development is a five-storey addition to the existing four-storey apartment building. With the additional space, they will provide 15 one-bedroom units (12 of those being reserved for senior residents) and nine two-bedroom units for all other age demographics.
According to Bradford’s May 4 newsletter, the development will also include “barrier free units”, a welcomed feature as Toronto is low on buildings that are considered accessible.
“The building will now have the benefit of an elevator to service all floors, an access ramp, new amenity space which will include a cooling centre, and improved laundry facilities,” stated the newsletter.
— Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journalism Initiative.
Amarachi Amadike, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Beach Metro Community News
