Tenant LOOP - Winter 2022

Meet Quincy Okafor Community builder for mental health

“Quincy” Chiamaka Okafor has lived in the Emery Village community for about seven years. She was raised by her single mother after moving to Canada from Nigeria when Quincy was just two.

Growing up, it was financially hard for Quincy and her mother. So when she received the Ted Rogers Scholarship in early 2022, it was life-changing. “When [they] said I won the scholarship, I was speechless, as many people might be,” Quincy said. “I ran over to my mom, told her and she was more excited than I was!”

When she was in high school, Quincy was involved in Student Council where she was the equity and sports representative. She was also quite involved with her church and community outreach programs, and she was a Black History Month committee member, where she designed t-shirts to sell at her school, church and in her community. Her designs helped raise awareness for Black history and have also helped Quincy pay for school.

Quincy attends York University, where she is enrolled in a Bachelor of Science (BSc) Psychology program. Her goal is to attend medical school for psychiatry one day. “A scholarship could be the difference between people going to their dream school and another school,” she says.

“Generally, scholarships give people opportunities.”

Opportunities are also what

Quincy is looking to create. She knows that there aren’t a lot of Black people in the mental health field, especially psychology. Even fewer of them are women. It is Quincy’s goal to become a strong voice in that space. “Having representation allows Black people to feel more comfortable and feel like the person that they’re speaking to knows their situation and understands how they feel, which makes them more comfortable in their situation,” Quincy said.

Quincy would like TCHC to support the mental health of Black tenants by continuing to provide access to scholarships and leadership and mentorship programs. She’d also like to see more programming to help develop skills in youth and those entering the workforce.

“Acquiring knowledge is like a very important skill, especially for a woman of colour such as myself,” she said. “I think it sets me apart from other people.”

For more information about scholarships through Toronto Community Housing, visit torontohousing.ca/scholarships.

Scholarship winner Quincy Okafor modeling the shirt that she designed.

A buzzing community enterprise

Cooper Mills tenants turn their honey business into sweet success.

Sylvia Smith used to be afraid of bees.

In 2017, when the building manager of Cooper Mills first approached the longtime tenant leader with the idea of setting up a hive in her community, it definitely took some convincing. “I’m going ‘No! No! No!’ because I was afraid of it,” Sylvia recalled, laughing. “And then he said to me, ‘I’m afraid of it too, but I think it would be interesting to do that and we can learn something together.’”

That fear is completely gone now as Sylvia has partnered with Tracy Roberts to create Cooper Mills Honey. They proudly show off four hives buzzing with activity, sitting in a quiet corner of a parking lot in their complex. “We picked this lot for the hives because it’s open and it has lots of trees and sunshine,” said Sylvia. “It’s the perfect spot.”

Stefan Opryshko agrees. He’s a beekeeper with Alvéole, an urban beekeeping company that partners with different organizations around the city to bring beehives to their locations. He drops

in to help manage the hives every two weeks. “One of our goals is to get people over their fear of bees and to learn about the important work bees do in the environment in terms of pollination and sustainability,” Stefan said.

And then of course, there’s the honey, which has been in high demand to the surrounding community and beyond. “One lady contacted me all the way from Saskatchewan and bought two boxes,” said Sylvia. “We also had a city councillor come in and I told them if you want my vote, you need to taste the honey!” As word-of-mouth spreads, more and more people want a taste.

Tracy also talks about the time they had a booth set up at the local public school. “The school normally has a Winterfest, where they invite people from the community to sell their things,” she said.

Left to right: Beekeeper Stefan Opryshko, Tracy Roberts and Sylvia Smith

“We’re just reaching out to anyone who wants and loves our honey.”

“We spent all night designing a booth, and the reception from the community at the event went amazingly well.” They also sell honey at the farmer’s market during the summer.

The best part is that 100 per cent of the honey profits go back into the community. From community barbeques to purchasing back-to-school supplies for local tenant youth, it’s important to contribute to enrich the lives of Cooper Mills tenants, and help those most in need.

Sylvia’s voice is heavy with emotion when describing how they purchased a comforting gift basket for a tenant who lost his wife during the pandemic, and donated money for cab fare so a tenant with cancer (who has since passed) could get to her chemotherapy appointments. “We’ve had a lot of people who unfortunately passed away during COVID, and it’s sad, but we make sure they all get something from the community to help out,” she said. “I always tell them this is a gift from the community, not from Sylvia. Don’t thank me, thank the community and the bees.”

Cooper Mills Honey continues to expand. “There’s a lady around the corner who just opened a store, and we got our honey in her store,” said Tracy. “We’re just reaching out to anyone who wants and loves our honey.” Asked about how she came up with the name for her company, Sylvia doesn’t hesitate. “I named the company ‘Cooper Mills Honey’ because I wanted people to know that this is who we are: bright, friendly, good people. And just like the bees, we’re a community all the way.”

If you’d like to find out more about Cooper Mills honey, including how to purchase a jar, you can contact Sylvia Smith by emailing sylviassmith98@hotmail.com.

If you’re interested in setting up a hive for your community, you can contact Alvéole via their website at alveole.buzz

Be sure to also check out the extended version of this story in Tenant LOOP Plus, which contains video interviews with Sylvia, Tracy and Stefon the beekeeper, by visiting torontohousing.ca/tenantloop

“Just like the bees, we’re a community all the way.”

Bees hard at work in a Cooper Mills hive

Tenant Notices

Check your property tax status before filing taxes

Please review this section for important updates from TCHC

You can submit your 2022 tax return starting in February 2023. Make sure you check your building’s tax exempt status—it’s important!

Why is my building’s tax exempt status important?

TCHC does not pay municipal education and property tax on most of its buildings. Tenants living in tax-exempt buildings cannot claim the property tax portion of the Ontario Trillium Benefit. The Ontario Trillium Benefit is a provincial program administered by the Canada Revenue Agency. For questions related to this benefit, please visit the Canada Revenue Agency website at cra.gc.ca.

How do I check my building’s status?

To get more information about your building’s property tax status, go to torontohousing.ca/taxexempt. If your building is exempted from property tax, you cannot claim the property tax portion of the Ontario Trillium Benefit.

What should I do if I have claimed this credit when I am not eligible?

Going forward, make sure that you do not claim the Ontario Trillium Benefit on new returns. If you receive a letter from Canada Revenue Agency that asks you to repay benefits you were ineligible to receive, we recommend you get help from a local income tax clinic and contact Canada Revenue Agency directly to seek a solution.

Decorate with care

Follow the fire code and be safe this holiday season

Merry EXIT

Materials that can burn, such as wreaths, trees and doormats, are not allowed in hallways or on doors.

Non-combustible trees or other non-combustible decorations must not block the path to evacuating the area in an emergency.

TCHC allows small holiday decorations in lobbies and community rooms with permission from the Superintendent. Large holiday decorations and holiday trees are not permitted in the lobbies of buildings, however, they are permitted in community rooms with a limit of one artificial tree.

Visit torontohousing.ca/firesafety for more fire safety tips.

This year marks Toronto Community Housing’s 20th anniversary as Canada’s largest social housing provider. This year is an important milestone to reflect on how far we’ve come since 2002, where we are currently, and where we are going. Reflecting on our start, it was not an easy journey, and looking ahead, we know we have work to do. TCHC is committed to achieving our vision of providing quality homes in vibrant communities where people are proud to live and work.

20 YEARS AT TORONTO COMMUNITY HOUSING

Toronto Community Housing was formed January 1, 2002 through the integration of the former Metro Toronto Housing Corporation (MTHC) and the former Toronto Housing Company (THC).

2002

2003

Toronto Community Housing partnered with the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) to present an international symposium on civic democracy. More than 300 tenants, staff and community partners attended to hear three guests from Porto Alegré, Brazil –the birthplace of participatory budgeting.

2004

2005

Jamestown in north-western Toronto went through a remarkable metamorphosis as tenants, staff and community partners worked diligently to solve complex problems in that community and make it a safer place for everyone.

We invested $100 million dollars to improve some of our oldest buildings and increase energy efficiency.

From day one, Toronto Community Housing understood its role in making positive change happen in its communities. The “community” aspect of our work is part of our company’s DNA. Yes, we are stewards of a very large public investment, but our work is and has always been about people, much more than about bricks and mortar.

We invested $7 million to open and renew community spaces, playgrounds, community gardens, basketball courts and soccer fields – worked with tenants, staff and community partners, like the Toronto Police Service, on community safety.

2006

2007

First group of Don Mount Court and Rivertowne tenants moved back following the revitalization of their communities.

2008

TCHC supported Green Collar Corps and Youth4Water, youth-led sustainability programs.

We hired staff with expertise in mental health to support frontline staff to solve complex cases and provide access to other resources.

2011 2009

On June 23, 2009, more than 700 candidates ran in 200 elections to select Tenant Representatives. In this unique tenant engagement model, Tenant Representatives work with Toronto Community Housing to shape the future, set priorities, and help to decide where to invest money.

Tim Murphy, Chair of the TCHC Board of Directors, and Jag Sharma, President and Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Community Housing

TCHC LEGACY STORIES: VOICES FROM OUR COMMUNITY

We invited three former tenants to share about their connections to TCHC communities, to provide words of motivation and inspiration and to share about their current career success. These stories illustrate “possibility” and connect our past with our future.

Scan the QR codes or visit stories.torontohousing.ca/20-years/ to view the videos.

Leisa Washington

In 2019, Leisa Washington became the first Black female agent to represent players of the NBA and the WNBA. She spoke to us about her beginnings growing in the Swansea Mews community with her mother and sisters.

We ended 2013 with Revitalization projects in Allenbury Gardens, Alexandra Park, Lawrence Heights, Leslie Nymark, the Railway Lands, Regent Park and West Don Lands, and development projects in the planning stage at 250 Davenport and Don Summerville.

2013

2012

A leading resident engagement practice, Participatory Budgeting (PB), allows residents to decide how we spend limited capital funds to improve our communities. In 2012, $2 million was allocated to fund repair projects in 168 different buildings to improve safety and common areas.

2014

Revitalization construction on Allenbury Gardens, our first revitalization community in the northeast part of the city began with demolition in June 2015. The revitalization will replace 127 Toronto Community Housing units, build about 900 new market condominium units and add a new public park and retail space.

2015

2016

We connected approximately 1,100 residents with exceptional needs to health, social service and community supports in 2014.

We completed nearly $240-million worth of capital repair projects from our $250-million budget, a new record number of capital repairs for TCHC.

Minister Ahmed Hussen

Fleeing war in Somalia, Ahmed Hussen and his family immigrated to Canada in 1993. Today, he is a Member of Parliament and Canada’s Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion. Minister Hussen shared with us how advocating for his Regent Park community sparked a path towards successful legal and political careers.

Andrea Dixon

Growing up in the Chester Le community, Andrea Dixon was always inspired by her father who worked in construction. Today, she owns Sakmet Developments which oversees 40 active projects across Ontario including development projects, building custom homes and build contracts. She is inspired by the opportunity to create homes and to bring someone’s vision to life.

Developed over the course of two years, TCHC launches the Tenant Charter across all buildings. Built on the core values of integrity, community collaboration, accountability and respect, the Tenant Charter communicates Toronto Community Housing’s commitment to service, and sets out accountabilities for employees and tenants alike.

2017

2018

A new service delivery model for tenants was announced in September 2019. The plan focuses on four key pillars of service to tenants: cleaning, maintenance, tenancy management and community safety and supports.

2019

2020

We created a new fire life safety education program to further empower tenants to understand their roles in fire prevention in their homes. Funding is secured for TCHC’s 10 year capital plan from the City of Toronto and the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (CMHC).

TCHC successfully transitioned 83 seniors-designated buildings to the Toronto Seniors Housing Corporation. We welcome this opportunity to make a strong contribution to our city and help senior tenants get the housing, health and community supports they need.

2021

During the COVID-19 pandemic, TCHC conducted more than 19,000 wellness checks by telephone and door-knocking in 2020.

We will be announcing the winners of our 20th Anniversary Youth Essay Contest –20-20 Vision in January.

Visit stories.torontohousing.ca/20-years/ to stay up-to-date or to learn more.

Contest: What’s your favourite holiday tune

Whether we’re in our cars listening to the radio, or strolling out and about with our earbuds tucked under our hats, we celebrate many different holidays at this time of year, and festive times put us in the mood for some good songs to go along with them.

Tell us what songs put you in a festive mood, and you could win a Cadillac Fairview $50 gift card. This contest is only open to tenants of Toronto Community Housing.

Contest entries can be sent via:

• Email to TenantLOOP@torontohousing.ca • Direct message to our Facebook page at facebook.com/TorontoCommunityHousing • Mail to 931 Yonge St., 7th floor, Toronto, ON M4W 2H2 (Attn: Tenant LOOP)

Please send your entries by Friday, February 3, 2023.

Congratulations to Aisha, the winner of our “Favourite Fall Books” contest from the fall issue. One of Aisha’s favourites is Midnight Library by Matt Haig, a science fiction tale exploring alternate realities to examine what life is, how people shape our lives, and how our actions impact those around us. Aisha has won a Chapters Indigo gift card with a $50 dollar value, perfect for building up her sci-fi library as we head into 2023. Happy reading, Aisha!

Winter Conservation

Tips for keeping warm this winter

While Toronto Community Housing buildings are heated to keep you comfortable, there are a number of things you can do in your units to stay warm as well. These tips will help keep you warm throughout the winter season.

Dress for the weather: Wear layers of warm clothing when going outdoors.

Keep your windows closed to prevent cold drafts and hold heat inside.

If you have a thermostat, check that your heat is on.

Keep your radiators clear so warm air can circulate throughout your unit.

Open the curtains during the day to let the sun’s heat in. Close the curtains at night to insulate and warm your unit.

Remove portable air conditioner vents from windows so that cold air doesn’t enter your unit.

For more information on conservation, email conservation@torontohousing.ca.