We’ve
been a part of many discussions lately concerning the Revitalization of Regent
Park, and often the conversation ends up centring on the relocation processes,
so we thought that we would try to help sort out the issues and challenges
that folks have been living with, in hopes to provide some clarity.
Relocation (Temporary Unit)
Relocation
is required in order to demolish the existing buildings in Regent Park. Families living in units
slated for redevelopment will be directed to move from their current home
to another Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) unit. This unit may be
located in Regent Park, slated for later redevelopment, or in another community
in the City. Residents will stay in their relocation unit until their new home
is built, which can be anywhere between 2 and 5 years.
About a
year before your move from your original location, you will receive a notice,
called a Demolition Notice, from TCHC telling you that demolition of your
existing home will happen in approximately one year.
Within
3-9 months after you receive that notice, you will be invited to attend a
meeting where you will be assigned a number that is selected via a random draw.
This number will be the order in which a relocation unit will be offered to
you. After that you will get a package indicating the available
units in the unit size for which your household is eligible. You
will then be asked to set a one-on-one meeting with a member of TCHC’s
Relocation Office.
Your
family will have a few days to discuss the options for relocation, and you will
then identify your top choices for relocation units by filling out a form at
the one-on-one meeting with the Relocation Staff. Once all the eligible residents’
one-on-one meetings are held, and everyone has made their relocation choices,
TCHC will make offers of units to residents in the order of their random draw
number. TCHC will continue to work with you to find a new home that meets your
family’s needs through the “family composition” process (numbers and ages of
family members in the dwelling determine how many rooms you are entitled to).
If there are no suitable units available at the time of the first round of
offers, TCHC will schedule additional meetings with you to find a unit
that works for your family.
Once
you’ve selected your new home, TCHC will work with you to ensure you have boxes
available for packing. TCHC will also pay certain fees related to your move,
including disconnect/reconnect fees with utility or cable companies,
postal fees for forwarding mail, as well as providing professional movers to
move your belongings into your new home.
At the
lease signing of your temporary new unit, you will also sign a “Relocation
Agreement,” which means that when the new housing is built in Regent Park, you
will have the right to come back.
Return (Regent Park Unit)
If moving
back to Regent Park doesn’t work for you when you receive notice that a new
building is ready, you may waive the right to return to Regent Park and stay in
your relocation unit instead. In some cases, you have the right to defer
your return to a later date or the next phase.
When a
new building is almost ready to have tenants move in, TCHC will hold another
random draw meeting that you will be invited to attend. Your name will again be
selected in another random draw along with other families’ names also waiting
return. Your random number will assign the order in which your family will
be offered a new unit in Regent Park. At the unit selection meeting, TCHC
will provide floor plans of options for new units, and set up a one-on-one
meeting with your family to determine your needs and which options of units you
would like to select. Once everyone in this phase of return has had their
one-on-one meeting, TCHC will offer units to residents based on the order
of the random draw, and you will have an opportunity to accept or decline this
offer.
What you
should know is that during the return process, you will again go through the
“family composition” processes to determine how many bedrooms your family
requires, based on the number and ages of family members living with you. This
is the same process you would have gone through when you first applied for
housing, and again when you relocated to your temporary home.
You
should also know that the architectural designs of today differ greatly from
those used in the 1940s, which means that homes are smaller, but typically much
more efficient in their layout, so you may not have the same amount of
square footage in your new home as was in your old home. Additionally, more high-rises are
being built as opposed to townhouses or low-rises, so your new Regent Park home
may be in a different building type than your old Regent Park home.
Once you
have confirmed your offer of a new home and your return to Regent Park, TCHC
will once again make sure that you have boxes, and a moving company to assist
you in your move. TCHC will again reimburse you for any utility, cable, or
postal fees related to your move.
Resettle
You’ll
come back to a community that has changed and neighbours that you’ve never met
before. It will take you some time to figure out what’s going on and where
things are happening, so we encourage you to stay as connected as possible
through the Regent Park Neighbourhood Initiative on our
website,
facebook or
twitter account,
so that you’re up to date with all things Regent Park.
If you
have any questions or concerns about the process as described, please contact
Debra at
debra@rpni.ca.
