CBC Toronto - Features - Lawrence Heights

For Better Or For Worse?
The Revitalization of Lawrence Heights

Quick Facts - Lawrence Heights

Michelle Mosquera is one of the photographers documenting the neighbourhood before it changes

» Built in the 1950s, the neighbourhood is located in an area north of Lawrence Ave. between Bathurst and Dufferin, near Lawrence West subway station.
» The Allen Expressway goes straight through the middle of the community.
» 1208 rent-geared-to-income housing units are spread out over 100 acres (detached houses, townhouses and low-rise apartments, including 127 units for seniors).
» Of the approximately 3500 tenants, youth are by far the largest group - almost 50% are under 16 years of age and 63% are under 26.
» Apartments are larger than those in other Toronto public housing communities, over 50% of housing units are three or more bedrooms.
» Residents stay in the community an average of eight years.
» The average household annual income is approximately $15,000.
» The majority of tenants are of West Indian and African descent, speaking a number of languages including English, Somali, Oromo, and Spanish.
» Streets were purposely designed not to connect to existing streets from established surrounding neighbourhoods. This design is one of the reasons why some residents think the neighbouhood got the nickname "Jungle" - visitors often get lost in the tangle of cul-de-sacs.
» In October 2005, Toronto City Council designated Lawrence Heights as one of 13 priority neighbourhoods, requiring infrastructure investment and improvement of community services.

Quick Facts - Toronto Community Housing (TCH)

Lawrence Heights apartments

» Toronto Community Housing (TCH) is one of the largest social housing providers in North America.
» TCH provides low-cost housing to nearly 164,000 people - about 6% of Toronto's population.
» Residents include families, seniors, singles, refugees, recent immigrants and people with special needs.
» TCH is in the process of "revitalizing" its neighbourhoods, tearing them down, and replacing them with new ones which will become mixed-income communities. Residences will include rent-geared-to-income, affordable housing and market units. Neighbourhoods currently in the middle of revitalization are Regent Park and Don Mount Court.
» Lawrence Heights will be the next public housing community to be revitalized.

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