{"id":9772,"date":"2024-11-29T15:49:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T19:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/?p=9772"},"modified":"2024-12-04T15:54:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T19:54:21","slug":"newmarket-affordable-townhouses-point-to-canadas-housing-crisis-blue-door-ceo-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/newmarket-affordable-townhouses-point-to-canadas-housing-crisis-blue-door-ceo-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Newmarket affordable townhouses point to Canada\u2019s \u2018housing crisis,\u2019 Blue Door CEO says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted on: Friday, November 29 2024, Posted by: Lisa Queen, Newmarket Era, Original Article<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Nov. 29 at Newmarket\u2019s Kevin\u2019s Place to pave the way for 14 affordable stacked townhouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while project at 835 Gorham St. is a win, it\u2019s only a drop in the bucket toward the millions of homes and affordable housing units needed in Canada, Blue Door shelters\u2019 CEO, Michael Braithwaite said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have a housing crisis right now and Canada needs three- to five-million homes, depending on who you\u2019re talking to,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFourteen stacked townhomes in place of one small home that was never built for the purpose we used it for \u2014 we have to take greater swings. And we\u2019re going to do that. Blue Door is dedicated to this. Once you get the ball rolling, as we have here, wait to see what we do with our partners next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The townhouses couldn\u2019t be built without financial support from the federal, provincial and municipal governments, the United Way and community partners, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayor John Taylor, chair of Housing York, agreed the townhouses are a success but stressed much more is needed to help people who are homeless or have precarious housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI get calls, I get people in my office on a regular basis, on a much, much, much more regular basis than a decade ago, in tears, in desperation, looking for help,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to be the mayor of a community where there are people unhoused, where people walk down the street and see somebody on a bench and go \u2018Well, we\u2019re doing the best we can, I guess that\u2019s just the way it is.\u2019 That\u2019s not acceptable. Being housed in a safe environment is a right. It\u2019s a human right. And we have to strive toward that much harder than we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Braithwaite praised Newmarket for welcoming supportive housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Kevin\u2019s Place, Newmarket has or is building several social housing projects, including Inn from the Cold, Belinda\u2019s Place and Housing York affordable housing at 62 Bayview Pkwy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin\u2019s Place is a 100-year-old house that occupies only 30 per cent of the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Door has maximized the limited space to offer as much emergency housing support as possible but says it\u2019s time to better use the property to provide housing for low to no-income families, adults, seniors, and youth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

United Way Greater Toronto is contributing more than $2.2 million toward the project, said Nation Cheong, vice-president of community, impact and mobilization at United Way Greater Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKevin\u2019s Place represents the very heart of what growth and expansion mean. For decades, Blue Door has been a pillar of York Region, providing housing, health and employment supports to those at risk of or experiencing homelessness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis redevelopment is the next step in their journey, a reflection of their unwavering commitment to growing their capacity to serve and to creating even greater impact in the lives of those who need it most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 325 people were identified as experiencing homelessness in the 2021 point-in-time count, and many of them are men \u2014 especially senior men \u2014 who are often overrepresented and underserved, Cheong said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest point-in-time count was done this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The federal government is providing more than $2.2 million toward the project, plus an $80,000 contribution in seeding funding through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ottawa\u2019s \u201cultimate goal is to eliminate chronic homelessness\u201d and is committed to working with other levels of government, agencies and community partners to make that happen, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The provincial government is investing $200,000 toward the project through the Trillium Foundation to support the construction of four new emergency housing units, Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese units will offer not only safe shelter but a fresh start to over 200 youth annually, ensuring these young community members can build a bright future,\u201d she said, praising Blue Door\u2019s commitment to its holistic approach to providing housing, health and employment opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted on: Friday, November 29 2024, Posted by: Lisa Queen, Newmarket Era, Original Article A groundbreaking ceremony was held Nov. 29 at Newmarket\u2019s Kevin\u2019s Place to pave the way for 14 affordable stacked townhouses. But while project at 835 Gorham St. is a win, it\u2019s only a drop in the bucket toward the millions of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":9773,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t