Too cold for the street
Toronto has many services for homeless people year round, including mostly 24/7 emergency shelters, drop ins, housing assistance, and 24-hour street outreach. But when winter arrives, the City steps up the response out of safety concerns.
Homeless people do not need to stay outside
During the winter the City builds on extensive supports already available throughout the year.
Enhanced services all winter long
- Monitoring of weather conditions so that appropriate action can happen when extreme conditions are forecast
- Monitoring condition of homeless people living outside
- Extending hours at nine drop in centres to ensure there are warm places to go on the weekends and statutory holidays after December 15
- Availability of flex beds to increase shelter capacity if needed
- An additional 125 temporary sleeping spaces a night through the City-funded, volunteer-operated Out of the Cold Program
Extreme Cold Weather Alert
When overnight conditions meet certain criteria, Hostel Services and Streets to Homes will call an Extreme Cold Weather Alert, starting November 15 and going until April 15. Conditions are a weather forecast for -15 degrees Celsius or colder, or when other extreme winter weather is in the offing.
Added to the list of enhanced winter services when an Alert is called:
- Some Shelter Standards are relaxed (including service restrictions and curfews in shelters)
- Contact is made with more than 100 organizations and agencies that work with homeless people to ensure they prepare and respond to increased demand for services
- Street outreach is increased and focuses exclusively on warning clients of danger and transporting people to locations they can go indoors
- More transit tokens are provided to drop-ins so homeless people can reach shelters;
- 160 additional shelter spaces are made available.
If you need shelter
- Adults and youth requiring a shelter bed should call 416-338-4766, 24 hours.
- Families needing emergency shelter should call Central Family Intake 416-397-5637, 24 hours.
Want to learn more?
Extreme Cold Weather Q&A
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