The homeless are not a homogenous group. A locale for several demographic-specific services for vulnerable populations in Toronto, the Sherbourne corridor addresses the heterogeneity inherent within displaced populations. Within this group, women comprise 27.3% of the homeless in Canada, and is becoming the fastest rising sub-population of homeless peoples. Poverty, domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, pay inequity, and likeliness to head single-parent households are factors that all contribute to female homelessness. However, the true number of females facing displacement is much larger than what is reported. The potential dangers of living on the streets as a female often means facing violence, sexual assault, and unsafe living conditions for their children. As such, many women are among the hidden homeless - they choose to tolerate domestic violence or threats to ensure access to living space.
Like many experiencing homelessness, women are forced to make these decisions due to the lack of affordable housing in Toronto. However, according to a 2018 Angus Reid study, women are more likely to live in poverty than men - of Canadians living in poverty, 60% are women, whereas 40% are men. Moreover, poverty rates among single mothers are higher than any other family type or group - a report from statistics Canada states that an essential factor of women’s poverty is the presence of children. Approximately a quarter of all households with children in Canada are led by single women.
These systemic issues cannot be absolved with affordable housing alone. First, building a sense of stability and self-sufficiency is necessary for women to obtain and manage permanent housing. This means that women need to feel safe in their living environments. For many women, that means living in women-only housing, according to alternative housing studies. This is particularly true for those fleeing violence or abusive partners.
For women leaving homelessness, violence, or emergency crisis shelters, transition homes play a critical role in this intermediate phase: they offer essential services to help women find permanent homes and rebuild their lives. 294 Sherbourne is a transitional home for women that integrates the public programs of a health clinic, a daycare, fitness studios, and skills training into a housing complex, creating a campus for learning, social support, and community. Using deliberate architectural features, the space seeks to help women achieve this by fostering a sense of safety, reducing stress, and imbuing hope.
The project is designed around an existing Victorian home on the site, prioritizing the maintenance of the existing street face and historical context. The residential towers are placed away from the street, creating an open public courtyard. Pathways draw pedestrians in from the busy street and into the refuge of the shaded yard.
The public podium is accessible to vulnerable women outside of those living in the complex, allowing for social bonds to form with others across the neighbourhood. Semi-private social spaces are integrated on each residential floor to increase casual encounters and give users a sense of choice in the types of spaces they want to inhabit. Each apartment is equipped with a generous winter garden, permitting each resident access to daylight and a sense of choice in how the garden is customized.
Using mass timber as a primary building material was desired for its proven positive effects on psychological well-being - a primary goal of the project. As such, the complex is built out of a hybrid system of mass timber and concrete. The foundations and underground parking garage are formed in concrete, while the above-ground public podium and residential towers are built in mass timber. Glulam columns are placed in a structural grid of 6 by 6 meters that support structural CLT floors. Columns (as opposed to CLT shear walls) were chosen for their programmatic flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
The residential units use layered facades in conjunction with a solar chimney facade for passive heating, cooling, and ventilation; lowering operating costs and emissions. A series of rooftop gardens collect rainwater that are cycled through the units for use as greywater. Trees planted around the perimeter of the site offer a moment of refuge for pedestrians passing by.
