Habitat Services

Mission Statement: Habitat Services strives to improve the quality of housing for tenants marginalized by poverty and their mental health status by contracting with landlords and providing recovery based support. History: In the 1980s, advocates, mental health workers and housing providers voiced serious concerns about consumer/survivors of the mental health system being housed in boarding homes with very poor living conditions. Habitat Services was established in 1987 to help address these concerns and improve the quality of life for tenants. The City of Toronto, the Ministries of Community and Social Services, Health, Housing, the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and the Supportive Housing Coalition discussed strategies. They developed the concept of using a contract to standardize services and improve housing standards in boarding homes. The details were worked out in consultation with consumer/survivors, advocates, representatives of the provincial and municipal g...