When a family member is cycling between emergency shelters, hospital wards, and the street, the promise of housing feels both urgent and impossibly distant. For caregivers supporting a loved one with chronic mental health challenges or substance use disorders, the search for a stable door to lock is a grueling process of waiting lists and systemic bottlenecks.
In Toronto, a new approach to municipal land use is beginning to physicalize. The recent groundbreaking on 74 new rent-controlled homes at 1113, 1125 Dundas St. W. in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighborhood, built on a former municipal parking lot, represents more than just construction. It is a test case for the City’s "public developer model," where municipal assets are leveraged directly rather than sold to the highest private bidder. For families, understanding how these projects are structured is the first step in learning how to advocate for a loved one’s placement within them.
The Public Developer Model and Rent Control Realities
To navigate the municipal housing landscape, caregivers must understand the structural distinctions of these new builds. The development at Dundas Street West and Ossington Avenue, managed via CreateTO and funded in part by the federal Apartment Construction Loan Program, introduces a critical distinction between "rent-controlled" and strictly "affordable" units.
Of the 74 units being constructed, all are rent-controlled, but only at least 17 are designated as deeply affordable homes, as noted in the City of Toronto News Release (August 24, 2026). This means that while the entire building is protected from the predatory rent hikes common in the private market, only a portion of the building is priced for those with extremely low incomes, such as individuals relying on Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) benefits.
For families, the inclusion of larger units is a highly practical shift. More than 40 per cent of the units in the Trinity-Bellwoods development are either two- or three-bedrooms. In a city where affordable housing is almost exclusively built as tiny bachelor apartments, these larger units offer a rare opportunity for caregivers who need to live with or directly alongside an adult child who requires daily, informal caregiving support to maintain their stability.
Balancing Green Infrastructure with Urgent Human Needs
One of the tensions inherent in Toronto's current housing strategy is the intersection of climate goals and emergency placement. The Dundas Street West project is designed with low-carbon mass timber and geothermal energy. While these features lower long-term operating costs and create healthier, quieter living environments, which can significantly reduce sensory overload for individuals with severe mental illness, they also require sophisticated engineering and municipal coordination.
This level of planning can slow down initial deployment. The project is a key component of the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan, which aims to deliver 65,000 new rent-controlled homes by 2030. Yet, for a family dealing with a loved one sleeping in a park today, a target years in the future offers little immediate relief.
However, the long-term benefit of the public developer model lies in who manages the property. Rather than a private landlord motivated by profit margins and eviction-led turnover, the City of Toronto selects experienced non-profit housing providers to operate these buildings. Non-profit operators are far more likely to employ a Housing First framework, recognizing that stabilizing a person's physical space must happen before they can successfully engage with addiction recovery or mental health treatment.
How to Monitor and Access Municipal Housing Initiatives
Because these new developments are built on public land, they do not operate through standard commercial rental markets. To help a loved one secure a unit in projects like the Dundas Street West development, caregivers must navigate a centralized, bureaucratic pipeline.
First, ensure your loved one is active on the MyAccessToHousingTO online portal. This is the centralized waiting list for social housing, rent-geared-to-income (RGI) assistance, and supportive housing in Toronto. Because wait times for standard RGI units can span years, it is vital to document and apply for "Priority Access" if your loved one is currently experiencing homelessness or fleeing abuse.
Second, coordinate directly with a designated housing follow-up worker or a mental health case manager. Many of the supportive units in new municipal builds are filled through direct referrals from partner community health agencies rather than the general waitlist. If your loved one is connected to a multi-disciplinary team, such as an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, ensure their housing worker is actively tracking new non-profit selections for upcoming municipal sites.
Finally, monitor CreateTO's public land portfolio updates. Knowing which municipal sites are transitioning into construction allows families to identify upcoming non-profit operators early, giving you a clear target for inquiry and advocacy before the doors open.
When you need a calm place to think the next step through, or to reference and understand how to initiate contact to any of the organizations in this article, Liam's Call is available anytime, free, no account required.
