Land Trust Secured 81 Affordable Homes in Toronto’s West End

In 2022 the City of Toronto and Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) transferred 82 single-family homes and small buildings in Toronto’s west end to The Neighbourhood Land Trust (NLT). NLT partnered with YWCA Toronto to provide property management and tenant services for this unique social housing portfolio.

“The Neighbourhood Land Trust is honoured to be partnering with the YWCA Toronto and the City to improve and steward this important social housing portfolio on behalf of communities across the west end of Toronto. Through our unique community ownership model, the Land Trust will ensure that these homes are preserved and protected as permanently affordable rental housing, while also providing tenants new opportunities to participate in decisions about their housing and community.”

Ayal Dinner, President of the Board of Directors, NLT

This historic initiative demonstrated the power of the Community Land Trust (CLT) model to preserve affordable housing and build more equitable and sustainable local economies through community-led social procurement and planned environmental and accessibility improvements. Through NLT’s community-based governance model, tenants gained new opportunities to participate in housing decisions and engage with the broader community membership to create more equitable, accessible, and sustainable neighbourhoods.

To access our joint press release with YWCA Toronto, click here.

YWCA Housing Program

Effective April 1, 2022, in a partnership agreement with NLT, YWCA Toronto provides property services, administers rent collection, follows applicable City of Toronto Guidelines, RTA processes and offers information to strengthen tenancies. As a part of this, YWCA helps tenants to maintain their housing, participate in their community and build the skills required to ensure successful tenancies.

Who is the program for?

New applicants for Scatterhomes program must be women or gender diverse individuals and their families. Women and/or gender diverse people will be the lease holders and all other members of the household will be listed as occupants.

What does the program offer?

Scatterhomes offers permanent affordable/subsidized housing for women or gender diverse individuals and their families. The units are single-family homes or multi-family units with outdoor spaces for families to grow.

The Scatterhomes staff team includes Maintenance Workers who maintain the homes and complete necessary repairs, a Facilities Administrator who receives work orders from tenants and ensures work is completed, and a Business Administrator.

Our Tenancy Support Coordinator works in collaboration with tenants to support successful tenancies and ensure that tenancy obligations are fulfilled. They offer effective strategies for the housing stabilization and eviction prevention needs of the Scatterhomes community. We also have a Transitional Tenant Support Worker as part of the team, who specifically supports tenant households impacted by major capital projects being undertaken by NLT. The Transitional Tenant Support Worker ensures tenants understand the work being done on their homes, tailors packing and moving provisions to the individual household, and provides informal support to tenants experiencing the stress of a major move.

The Tenancy Support team works with the Property Service team to ensure that housing stabilization and eviction prevention activities are integrated into the overall service delivery. We provide referrals and ideas for tenancy support initiatives and generate individual solutions to address tenants’ diverse needs.

How can I live here?

Eligible applicants must be referred through City of Toronto centralized waitlist.

Home Repair Program

Starting in 2022, the NLT began implementing a major portfolio-wide capital repair and improvement program, supported by over $25 million in funding and financing from CMHC and the City of Toronto. This program aims to bring this aging portfolio into a state of good repair while enhancing accessibility and energy efficiency.