200 Wellesley St. E. update: Temporary housing, support available for North
Tower residents while repairs and clean-up work continue

TORONTO, Oct. 13 /CNW/ - Toronto Community Housing will continue to provide temporary housing and access to supports for a group of 200 Wellesley St. E. tenants who are unable to return home.

This afternoon, Toronto Community Housing informed residents living in the North Tower about estimated timelines for their return. It will take an estimated three to six weeks before most of the North Tower's 344 units are ready for occupancy and longer for the units on floors 23, 24 and 25, which were closest to the fire. The additional time is needed for Toronto Community Housing crews to remove excessive moisture and clean up and repair water and smoke damage in the part of the building hardest hit by the fire. The work is needed to address state of repair and air quality issues in the wake of a six-alarm fire that required 120 firefighters, 27 fire trucks, five hours and an estimated five million gallons of water to extinguish. The water is enough to fill almost eight Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Town hall meetings for North Tower residents of 200 Wellesley St. E. will take place at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, 711 Bloor St. E. (at Castle Frank subway station), on Saturday, October 16th. North Tower residents of 200 Wellesley St. E. will have the opportunity to attend one of two meetings. A first meeting will take place at 10:30 a.m. with a second taking place at 2:30 p.m. Toronto Community Housing will provide an update on the building, when tenants can retrieve belongings and the availability of tenant care and supports. Tenants will have the opportunity to ask questions and get answers from Toronto Community Housing staff and a panel including representatives from the City of Toronto, Toronto Fire, Toronto Police, Toronto Public Health, Toronto Animal Services as well as third-party air quality experts. Interpretation services and child minding will be provided. Tenants are asked to confirm their attendance by calling the tenant hotline [phone].

The meeting is for North Tower tenants only. A media briefing will take place after the first meeting. A meeting for South Tower tenants who have already returned home will take place on October 26th. To date, approximately 300 units in the building's South Tower have been cleared for occupancy.

Toronto Community Housing continues to work co-operatively with the City of Toronto and community agencies to ensure the well-being of displaced tenants. Temporary housing continues to be provided for North Tower residents who need a place to stay. The Wellesley Community Centre remains open as a resource centre for residents of 200 Wellesley St. E. Tenants can access food vouchers and TTC tokens. Tenants with questions can access the tenant hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Toronto Community Housing has worked to secure donations to assist tenants affected by the fire. The donation centre is located at 257 Jarvis St., north of Dundas Street. Tenants of 200 Wellesley St. E. can visit the donation centre for new and used items such as furniture, clothing, school supplies, shoes, pots and pans, dishes, pet food, bedding and non-perishable food. Cash donations are still needed and can be made at any Royal Bank of Canada. Information about making donations is available online at www.torontohousing.ca or www.toronto.ca.

Toronto Community Housing is Canada's largest social housing provider and home to more than 164,000 tenants, about 6% of the city's population, with low and moderate incomes. Toronto Community Housing employs 1,400 staff in a broad range of jobs who deliver its mandate to provide quality housing and build great neighbourhoods.

For further information:

Media contacts:

Kyle Rooks, Toronto Community Housing, 416-688-8277