Madam Speaker, I am delighted to speak on behalf of and in support of the bill, which is already delivering results in my riding of Taiaiko'n—Parkdale—High Park. I want to speak specifically about the Parkdale neighbourhood in my riding, an area that has welcomed newcomers, including people fleeing persecution and violence, and people who have mental health challenges, for decades. It is a place that used to host the more wealthy residents of downtown Toronto when it was a country retreat, and then it became a place to welcome people from around the world. Parkdale is a little corner of the community, bordered by Dufferin Street, Roncesvalles, Queen Street and King Street.
The population of the Parkdale neighbourhood of our community actually went down between 2016 and 2021. This is because we had areas of the neighbourhood in particular, such as larger mansions that had been multiresident residences, that were being turned into single-family homes. That, combined with the health needs, the needs of immigrants and refugees, and the needs of artists in our community, really created a challenge for the people in our riding, including the people in Parkdale. Government working side by side with the social sector in the kind of partnership my colleague mentioned has delivered and is delivering results.
I just want to mention a few projects that are happening right now and are funded right now thanks to Build Canada Homes and the other programs that are in place thanks to the current government. Dunn House, which my colleague, the Minister of Housing, already mentioned, has 51 rent-geared-to-income units; there is $14 million through the rapid housing initiative, with Fred Victor and University Health Network as partners. It is changing the lives of 51 residents who have health needs and complex needs, delivering wraparound housing supports and health care supports.
We are already building another project right around the corner at 11 Brock Avenue, which has 42 rent-geared-to-income units and $21.6 million with the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre as the delivery partner through federal government funding. There is Green Phoenix II, also in Parkdale, with 92 new affordable units, with $14.6 million and Parkdale United Church Foundation as a partner. I announced just last month with my colleagues the second edition of Dunn House in the same neighbourhood in Parkdale as Dunn House phase one, with 54 rent-geared-to-income units focused on seniors who have complex health needs, at $21.6 million, with the University Health Network.
These are projects that are happening through a multiplicity of funds and a number of initiatives. Dunn House phase two is a project of Build Canada Homes. When I hear from the other side that there is too much bureaucracy, I say come to Parkdale and see the progress we are making right now with these institutions and with these different kinds of funds. When I hear from the other side that we are not going fast enough, I say come to Parkdale and see the housing that is being built now, is under construction, as well as the housing that is being promised.
When I hear that this kind of format is about bureaucracy, I say come to Parkdale. Come and learn from the residents of Dunn House, who have experienced a 52% reduction in emergency department visits and a 79% drop in hospital bed days. There is $2.1 million in projected annual cost savings. Come to Parkdale; come and meet the residents of these facilities, of these dignified housing opportunities, which bring housing, health care and food, with the whole community in support.
Build Canada Homes is building Parkdale strong. Parkdale is an integral part of our community. I am very much looking forward to the new projects that are being proposed within my community all along Queen West and the Queensway, such as the Parkdale People's Place project, the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre project and the Swansea Mews project. All these housing projects are being developed right now to provide the kind of housing we need in our community, in Parkdale, to bring a dignified life, economic opportunity and jobs.
When I hear that there is something wrong about this approach of a new institution, I say come to Parkdale; come see how the funds are flowing right now in our community and are building housing, bringing jobs, bringing dignity and connecting people to the services they need. Come see how the whole community, inspired by and being able to access these funds, is using the funds and the opportunities to build housing, to help people build new lives for each other, and to bring the kind of safety and security that all of us in our neighbourhoods and communities need.