A plot of land in Scarborough is under construction, as a team of community advocates work towards a 10-unit micro-shelter village.
Tiny Tiny Homes executive director Ryan Donais is behind the effort.
“There’s going to be a huge community building where they’re going to have a common space, a staffing office and a social work office where they can meet with doctors, social workers,” he explained.
Donais previously built and placed mobile emergency shelters at St. James Park.
Now, the vision for ‘Brent’s Place‘ is to use transitional housing to get people off the streets.
“It’s like you’ve fallen and you need help getting up, we just want to help people get up,” said Donais.
Many volunteers and businesses have shown support through donating time and materials.
Donais said the fences, trees and excavating was all done through donations — helpful for a charity that would have to otherwise raise funds.
Brent’s Place will be located behind a family-run bakery and catering service, Sefonias Catering, which is leasing their property for the project at $1 per year for three years.
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“The fact that we’re able to give in this way means a lot to us and we hope to give more in the future as well,” said COO Sefonias Samuel.
Sefonias Sameul (Left) and Gelila Samuel (Right) run Sefonias Catering, which is providing land for the Brent’s Place project.
Global News
The Samuel family has been catering for shelters for more than two decades.
Once the transitional homes for Brent’s Place are built and in use, they plan to provide food and training programs for the residents.
“You hear these grand ideas and you see them in motion and it’s just great to see them actually happening,” Samuel said.
“It’s better to come together collaboratively, instead of everyone working in separate ways.”
Among those who will first enter the tiny home village is Eric Williams.
“It’s a stepping stone in finding a more permanent place, a big stepping stone,” he said.
Williams has experienced homelessness over the past three years, after getting evicted from his apartment during a resell.
“I wasn’t able to find another place to live. I ended up putting my stuff into storage and just living on the street,” Williams said.
“I know the winter is going to be pretty bad for some people. It’s definitely very important for something like [Brent’s Place], to have that option so you can try to move on and find a permanent place to live.”
There has been success stories from Tiny Tiny Homes to use as a reference: Brent Blake.
Blake is the namesake for Brent’s Place and one of the first people to participate in the tiny homes program, which led to permanent housing before he passed away.
“[Brent] was somebody that the system kind of forgot and he fell through the cracks,” Donais said. “He was suffering from stage four cancer and was outside. I really think it’s very important to take care of our vulnerable citizens, and that’s what this place is going to do.”
The City of Toronto said in a statement that the proposed Tiny Tiny Homes project is “currently under review as it must meet all necessary zoning, building and regulatory requirements before it can move forward.”
Media relations manager Kayla Lewis said in an email to Global News that “the City is working collaboratively with the builder/owner and will determine appropriate next steps once the review is complete.”
Donais’ goal is to have the development done by Dec. 31, 2026.
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