Toronto affordable housing sector leaders launch National Housing Week with Build Day

Every November, Canada recognizes November 22 as National Housing Day, a time to bring attention to the challenges faced by Canada’s homeless population and to bring forward effective solutions. This year, as part of a weeklong event leading up to National Housing Day, a group of Toronto’s leading non-profit affordable housing organizations joined forces with Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Ted McMeekin today to kick off National Housing Week with a Build Day at a Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Habitat for Humanity build site.

The purpose of the event was to show off the construction of residential options that give low income families the opportunity they need to enter the world of home ownership. The organizations involved in the Build Day include the GTA Housing Action Lab, Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area (Habitat GTA), Trillium Housing, Artscape, and the Kehilla Residential Programme (KRP).

"Nearly 1 in 5 households in the GTA is living in housing that is too small, in disrepair or unaffordable. But it doesn't have to be this way." said Robert Plitt, Executive Director of Evergreen CityWorks, in a press release announcing the event. "We're thrilled to convene the GTA Housing Action Lab, working with partners from government and the private and not‐for‐profit sectors to find scalable solutions to challenges of housing affordability and sustainability. Helping build affordable homes is a perfect way to kick off National Housing Week, affordable home ownership is an important part of a strategy to address our regions affordability challenges."