“Affordable” homes go modular in Toronto

April 11, 2022

Modular homes for 44 “homeless” applicants costs $190,000 each in Toronto. | CMHC

The City of Toronto received $440 million from the Canadian government’s Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). This funding will help construct hundreds of new homes and create thousands of jobs for citizens in need, the federal government said in a release.
In the first round of funding, Toronto received over $238 million to construct more than 650 new “affordable” homes for those most vulnerable. Through the second round of RHI support, $201.5 million was allocated to build more than 420 new affordable homes for individuals and families.The new housing units will support Canadians who are in uncertain housing situations, experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or living in temporary shelters.
The City of Toronto is using modular construction to create the affordable homes, which is proving efficient. A recent project at 321 Dovercourt Road has 44 studio apartments and includes a common room, a dining room, program space, administrative offices and a commercial kitchen that can provide on-site meals for residents. Each home is approximately 300 square feet and comes with a kitchen, and is furnished with a twin bed, a lounge chair, a dining table and chairs, and a dresser. Each apartment costs $190,000.
Another RHI project in Toronto has a budget of $1.2 million to create 24 homes for the homeless on vacant city land on Parliament Street, or the equivalent of $50,000 per modular unit.
In comparison, the most recent RHI-inspired home in Vancouver—also built for the homeless—costs $500,000 per unit using conventional wood frame construction.