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David* arrived at the men’s shelter after coming to Canada alone from Africa in 2004. He successfully applied for transitional housing in the same year. Quiet and shy, David gradually became a steady presence at dinners and events, sending pictures to his son back home. David secured a job with assistance from housing workers and managed his money well enough during his time in the Transitional Housing Program to buy a used car and successfully rent his own place. Now on the Housing Connection List for a permanent place, David still comes by the transitional housing site occasionally to connect with staff and collect mail or information. Maintaining positive, lasting relationships with tenants like David contributes to the building of sustainable support networks for vulnerable community members as they work to continually improve their life circumstances.

CONC Transitional Housing Wins Brownie Award for Best Small Scale Project

The Canadian Urban Institute Brownie Awards recognize projects that have achieved outstanding success and have pushed the boundaries of brownfield redevelopment. Winners are often at the cutting edge of industry, making use of all tools and opportunities available to them. This often makes winning projects examples for other initiatives trying to get off the ground. The purpose of this report is to revisit recent Brownie Award winners to identify some key factors of success and examine the impact these projects are having on the wider urban fabric.

Best Small Scale Project

The Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre (CONC) is a homeless shelter and transitional housing complex for Toronto men in need. The site of the CONC was once an abandoned and contaminated turn-of-the-century salt storage and horse stall warehouse. With funding from a federal homelessness granting program, the site was transformed into a 65 bed housing complex. The project continues to be celebrated for its creative integration of heritage features. Since winning a Brownie Award, the CONC continues to operate at capacity, helping men in need transition back into society. The centre’s architecture remains a key feature of interest for visitors and users. In particular, the respect shown towards the heritage of the site grounds the centre in the neighbourhood, giving it the symbolic strength as a “force of revitalization” for the wider community.