Social housing Toronto beach property fix up

Interior at 42 Hubbard will be gutted, mould removed
Tenants can move back in summer 2011 to renovated apartments
By Kris Scheuer
(Written Jan. 14 for Town Crier.)

The city is fixing up this Beach-front social housing complex. Photo Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

Deborah Beaven can’t wait to move back to her beachfront Toronto Community Housing residence.
Beaven lived at 42 Hubbard Boulevard for 20 years before she and all the tenants were relocated so TCH could fix the mouldy low-rise complex
The city-owned social housing provider recently held a meeting to update tenants on when they can return and how the building will be renovated.
“I was happy to know they are going forward and will rebuild,” she said.

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Millions to fix up social housing

$220 million will be spent on repairs, upgrades
By Kris Scheuer
(Written Dec. 1 for Town Crier.)

Workers strip old bathroom tiles from a Toronto Community Housing unit during a recent renovation. Francis Crescia/Town Crier file photo.

Toronto social and affordable housing complexes are getting a $220 million facelift over the next two years.
The province and feds are pumping this cash into renovations and retrofits which means everything from new toilets, lighting and fridges to repairs of decks, garages and elevators for thousands of Toronto tenants.
“It certainly helps (to reduce) the state of good repair backlog and helps buildings stay in good repair,” says Glenn Courtney, city manager of social housing administration. “And it provides better living conditions for tenants in these buildings.”
During the first phase, between now and March 2010, the city will spend $98.5 million for 1,217 projects.
The money is spread out among 139 Toronto housing providers but the lion’s share of this cash, $68.3 million is going to the city’s Toronto Community Housing.

Mould in city housing forces tenants out

Repairs in Toronto Community Housing could take two years to fix
Residents at Balmy Beach apartments relocated, wait to return home

42 Hubbard will get interior renovations. Photo by Kris Scheuer/Town Crier.

By Kris Scheuer
(Written July 14/09 for Town Crier. Jan 13/10 UPDATE.)
Deborah Beaven wants to know when she can move back into the beachfront social housing building she has called home for almost two decades.
All tenants at 42 Hubbard Blvd. were relocated in March because of mould, although she said some left as late as May. 
The city-owned Toronto Community Housing low-rise building, just steps from Kew-Balmy Beach, has been vacant since.
“I am getting calls and e-mails and (queries) on my Facebook account asking me the status of 42 Hubbard,” said Beaven, the building’s tenant rep. 
“It would be nice if they cared enough to give us an update every three months so we don’t feel we’ve been forgotten,” she said.
The tenants were moved so a solution could be found, say city officials. 
“They couldn’t do the repairs, it was too costly, while people were (living) there while they do the work,” Beaches-East York councillor Sandra Bussin said.