The Problem:
This gap in available options for people trying to survive unsheltered in Toronto is due to:
a growing population of unhoused people
an overburdened shelter system that provides limited capacity and spatial agency to its users
an increase in the supply of permanent housing being years into the future
We aim to fill this gap by building Cabin Communities. They will help unhoused people go from tents, to cabins, to permanent housing.
Our proposed housing continuum:
The Cabin Community model:
Cabin Communities are transitional, low-capital / high-speed housing. They will not be permanent dwellings or interrupt modular, supportive, or rent-geared-to-income housing construction. As those units are built, community residents would have an opportunity to move in, freeing cabin space for the next person. Once the site is ready for construction, the community can be relocated to another site or removed if it is no longer necessary.
How we compare to other forms of rapid housing:
This is a model that unsheltered Torontonians want.
What would you like to see in a cabin community built to suit your needs?
"Heat, storage, a place to shower and do laundry... people to get along with."
Would you be willing to contribute to chores?
"Are you kidding? 'Course I'd volunteer in a place like this."
Who would be an ideal neighbour?
"A quiet, respectful tenant who respects me. [Somebody] with a conscience.