'Call to action': Time to make York Region's aging apartment towers more livable and affordable, United Way report says

'We simply cannot afford to lose them'

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 6, 2021
Kim Zarzour

They may be deteriorating, overcrowded and, for many, barely affordable, but York Region’s aging highrise apartment buildings are essential -- and in desperate need of attention, a new report says.

For decades, so-called “legacy towers” have been fixtures in our towns and cities and they are key to resolving the GTA affordability crisis, said the report released by the United Way of Greater Toronto, in partnership with the University of Toronto’s Neighbourhood Change Research Partnership and the Tower Renewal Partnership.

Built before 1985, the towers provide a home for thousands in the GTA, but they pose a growing health and safety concerns for residents, said the report, "Vertical Legacy, the case for revitalizing the GTA’s aging rental tower communities."

They are also increasingly unaffordable and desperately needed by the region’s most vulnerable populations, the report said.

In York Region, there are about 3,000 legacy tower units, the report said. 13 per cent are overcrowded, and 400 apartments units require major repairs.

And yet, for many of their residents, low-income and racialized, it’s the best they can do, the report said.

Only 40 per cent of residents pay rent deemed affordable; less than 30 per cent of before-tax income.

David Hulchanski, U of T professor with the Neighbourhood Change Research Partnership, said community response is urgently needed to deal with the growing income and racial segregation occurring in legacy towers.

“These aging buildings are at risk,” added Graeme Stewart, director of the Tower Renewal Partnership. “As we look for ways to expand affordable housing supply, it is critical we also preserve the housing we have.”

“We simply cannot afford to lose them,” added United Way president and CEO Danielle Zanotti.

The key, Zanotti said, is to enhance their livability, from maintaining the brick-and-mortar, to providing culturally appropriate services and opportunities for resident engagement.

The report offers 11 recommendations, including ways to help low-income residents make rent and access eviction protection, encourage tower owners to maintain good repair and affordability, and strengthen social infrastructure.

Kuhathaas, whose agency works with vulnerable, low-income and newcomer families, said the highrise community in south Markham is an example of how legacy towers can work well.

Many renters in the older apartment buildings in this community are immigrants of South Asian and Southeast Asian descent, who successfully settled in the community, finding comfort -- and connections -- in the familiar, thanks to the many diverse grocery stores, cultural centres and meeting locations in the area.

“Legacy rental towers are more than roofs over heads -- They are places where diverse communities grow, healthy lives are made, and social bonds are strengthened,” Zanotti said.

“Strong communities are what we stand for as a region, and you can’t have a strong community when you have neighbours facing health and safety concerns ... The neighbour who works at your favourite restaurant or local store, provides care for a loved one, volunteers at an agency or faith group with you.

“Ultimately, it’s about harnessing all the potential our region has to offer.”