Older purpose-built rental…

Older purpose-built rental housing is often the only affordable housing option for renters in Toronto. Demolishing or converting purpose-built rentals without bylaws in place to rehome previous tenants or replace affordable units will displace people from communities and cause homelessness. I am low-income and live in a replacement unit. When I was first displaced from my unit during the demolition and construction period of the new building the only rental unit I could find that I could afford to rent at a rate similar to my previous rental home did not meet building or fire codes, was often unheated for over 6 hours at a time and infested by rats. I developed an immune disorder while living there. Today if displaced again I would likely face homelessness due to increases in rent since that time. The current bylaws enacted by the city of Toronto protecting vulnerable tenants from displacement are necessary to prevent human suffering for renters facing a stark cost of living crisis.