Racism, Present: Housing, by the Numbers

By Sam Tecle

59

Per cent of Toronto's poor families who were considered ethno-racial minorities in 2007

$19,795

Average household income for a family living in Toronto Community housing

$69,125

Average GTA household income

$179,315

Salary of Chief TCHC Operating Officer Deborah Simon

44

Percent of newcomer renters who are in "core housing need," meaning they spend over 30 per cent of their income on housing. Less than 25 per cent of non-immigrant renters are in the same situation.

85, 578

Households on Toronto’s affordable housing wait list in June of 2012 – an all-time high for a number that's been steadily rising since 2008

158, 032

Total number of individuals on the wait list in June 2012

619

Number of single family homes owned by  Toronto Community Housing Corporation that City Council is deciding whether to sell

$751 million

Current repair backlog at the TCHC

40

Murders on TCHC property between 2007 and 2009

18

Percent of the city's murders that occur on TCHC property

7

Percent of the city's population that live on TCHC property. That means a TCHC resident is four times more likely to be murdered than the average Torontonian.

91

Number of TCHC community patrol officers, down from 200 in 2003. They are periodically augmented by regular police, such as anti-violence TAVIS teams.

Sam Tecle is a writer and a PhD student at York University.