Homes are the key to health and Toronto’s ultra tight vacancy rate means the city should focus on building new units in the fight to end chronic homelessness, according to a leading U.S. public health expert. Two new emergency shelters are scheduled to open in November, with estimated room for 100 to 200 people, she said. “What we are trying to do is return the emergency system back to emergency system, instead of a de facto housing system,” Bedard said. Katz said one question the city could be asking, or exploring, is why can’t that space be used instead for prefabricated, smaller housing units. “If you have space for prefabricated tents then you have space for low-cost shipping container modular housing,” Katz said.

Source: thestar October 02, 2018 23:26 UTC