138 Pears is a 96-unit seven-storey building that was formerly the Avenue Park Hotel. It is located near Avenue Road and Davenport in the Annex area of Toronto. On September 30th, 2004, St. Clare's purchased the building and converted it into a mixed income social housing project, with move-ins of those referred by a number of agencies beginning in December, 2004. The 200 square foot units have kitchenettes, full bathrooms and spacious balconies. In addition, the rooms have telephone and cable TV hook-ups as well as a buzzer that is connected to the front door. It is an ideal building to provide affordable housing for people currently living in shelters.
138 Pears
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Tenant Profile
Many people staying in shelters have jobs and are able to live independently. However, as a consequence of the cancellation of social housing programs in 1995 many lost their homes and were left with no other place to go. 138 Pears provides permanent affordable housing for these people.
Mixed Income Housing
Similar to social housing projects elsewhere in the City, 138 Pears consists of both subsidized rent-geared-to-income housing, as well as affordable market rents:
- Rent Geared to Income
84 of the 96 units are designated as rent-geared-to-income units for people who are currently homeless or living in a shelter. This means that if residents are on social assistance, they pay only the shelter component of their cheque as rent and if they are working they pay 30% of their gross income. The tenants in these units are referred to the building by one of our agency partners.
- Affordable Market Rents
The remaining twelve units provide affordable market rents.
The tenants in these units pay the full market rate for their units, rates set in consultation with the City of Toronto Shelter and Support Services.
Tenant Support
The agency partners that refer tenants to the building provide on-going support for their clients. Family Service Association (FSA) will be responsible for co-ordinating tenant support. The Tenant Co-ordinator will provide tenant liaison between partnering agencies as well as property management, organize programming for the common areas and ensure that tenants receive appropriate supports.
Full Circle Cafe
The Full Circle Cafe on the ground floor operates as a social enterprise. It is both an internet cafe that provides nutritious and affordable meals for the building's residents as well as a place where tenants are able to acquire job training and experience.
In addition to the cafe, the ground level of the building also consists of 3,000 square ft space that was previously used as a night club. We are looking for funding to renovate this space so that it could be used as an amenity space that would be multi-functional. Some of its uses could include use as a performance venue for community theatre groups; a meeting space for community-based forums and space in which to hold various skill based workshops and fundraising events.
