The chair of Toronto’s affordable housing committee has written the mayor asking him to hold off on a proposal that would halt the construction of new affordable rental housing in the city.

Councillor Ana Bailão wrote Rob Ford to voice her committee’s concern over city manager Joe Pennachetti’s report this week on the core services review.

Pennachetti suggests the city reduce new affordable housing development by limiting it to the completion of “existing council approved commitments’’ funded by the federal and provincial governments.

Pennachetti’s suggestions, which grew from this summer’s sweeping report by consultant KPMG on the city’s core services, are set to go to next week’s executive committee.

“Closing the door on providing affordable housing? That’s what scares me,’’ Bailão said in an interview this week.

What’s of particular concern to Bailão is the fate of $108 million in federal provincial housing funds that are coming to the city. The money was announced in August and is intended to go toward housing allowances for people renting in the private sector, down payment assistance for first-time buyers, repairs to existing private rental units that are affordable, or the creation of new affordable rental housing.

But because city council hasn’t approved any projects under the $108 million, Bailão and others fear the new affordable rental housing component of the money would be nullified.

“Different people need different kinds of housing. Some people need supportive housing, for (others) a rent allowance is enough. Other people need social housing. It’s not one size fits all,’’ Bailão said.

The city has 12 approved affordable housing projects under construction, for a total of 2,164 units. Toronto builds an average of about 500 to 600 units a year of affordable housing, according to figures from city hall.

But housing advocates point to the fact the waiting list for affordable housing continues to rise, thus demonstrating the need for the city to continue building new units.

Last year there were 74,000 households, or 139,000 people, on the waiting list for such housing, which increased to 79,000 households or 148,000 people this year.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has said that he prefers rent supplements rather than paying for people to live in subsidized units.

Original article available HERE