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Shelter, Support and Housing Administration Division (SSHA) is pleased to be part of the 2009 Toronto Innovation Showcase on November 2-3 at City Hall. This year, we are showcasing 12 exciting projects and programs that support City Council’s commitment to end homelessness in Toronto. Below is a brief summary of each project including our two award winners: the Aboriginal Homelessness Strategy and the Environmental Control Best Practices: Guideline to Reduce TB Transmission in Homeless Shelters and Drop-In Centres.
Aboriginal Homelessness Strategy
Results from the City of Toronto’s first Street Needs Assessment in 2006 showed that of the estimated 5,000 homeless people in Toronto on the survey night, 16% identified themselves as Aboriginal, and of those people living outside, 26% identified as Aboriginal.
Toronto City Council directed that 20% of funding under the Homelessness Partnership Initiative, (net of administration) be invested in projects addressing Aboriginal homelessness. As a result, $6.23 million was used in collaboration with the Aboriginal community to develop and implement an Aboriginal Homelessness Strategy.
The goal of the Strategy was to fund immediate projects and programs to address Aboriginal homelessness. Timelines were extremely tight: between January 2008 and March 31, 2009, projects had to be identified, approved and very close to completion by the end date.
Aboriginal drummers play at the opening of Sagatay, a new facility for homeless Aboriginal men and youth.
Four large building projects, four direct service projects and four capacity building projects were all funded under the Strategy, all in keeping with the suggestions made by the Aboriginal community. Included were:
- A new 22-bed transitional shelter for Aboriginal men and youth
- Two new rental units added to an existing social housing project for homeless Aboriginal individuals
- A new six-unit apartment building with support services for single mothers with children, and
- An improved drop-in centre for homeless Aboriginal youth.
To support these important initiatives, four Aboriginal agencies provided over 30 leadership and training activities for more than 300 staff.
In addition, four Aboriginal agencies were funded to provide services to homeless Aboriginal people. Collectively, they have helped over 400 Aboriginal people find and keep housing, as well as connect with volunteer, training and employment opportunities.
Environmental Control Best Practices: Guideline to Reduce TB Transmission in Homeless Shelters and Drop-In Centres
About one quarter of tuberculosis cases in Canada occur in Toronto. TB outbreaks in the homeless population (2000/2004) provided an opportunity to improve prevention practices in Toronto’s emergency shelter system.
A coroner’s jury reviewing the death of a homeless man from TB recommended that the Province of Ontario establish ventilation guidelines for shelters to reduce the possible spread of TB. With funding from the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, Toronto Public Health (TPH) and Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) developed the Environmental Control Best Practices: Guideline to Reduce TB Transmission in Homeless Shelters and Drop-In Centres to help decrease the transmission of TB. TPH managed the project, developed the guidelines, and provided training; SSHA provided key input, worked with shelter operators, and has implemented an assessment of all shelters in comparison to the guidelines.
Over 70 contagious disease prevention training workshops were given to more than 1,600 shelter, drop-in and Out-of-the-Cold staff.
Homeless people are at a greater risk of getting TB than the general public and they face barriers to treatment and prevention services. This project will help reduce the potential for TB outbreaks in emergency shelters and create healthier environments for both clients and staff through better information and better control measures.
A Strategic Approach to Fundraising and Resource Development
Program planning is a key part of the federally funded Homelessness Partnership Initiative (HPI). To that end, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) holds regular community consultations to discuss homeless services and programs. One issue that emerged was the need to help organizations which serve homeless and vulnerable clients strengthen their fundraising and resource development capacity.
Staff created a multi-faceted, practical learning program that included training sessions on fundraising, volunteer management, private sector engagement, solicitation strategies, corporate partnerships, and coaching and mentoring. Resource-rich tool kits were provided for each topic.
What made this initiative unique was the combination of training with an intensive component for select agencies resulting in the development of a board approved three-year resource development strategy. This involved consulting support to 26 organizations as well as special evening training sessions for their board members.
Specifically, the focus was to strengthen an organization's ability to generate revenue to build long-term sustainability; to build funding relationships and partnerships with the corporate sector; to develop and write strong funding applications and proposals that garner financial and in-kind support; and to motivate stakeholders to take greater ownership of resource development work.
In total, the program reached 204 participants from 131 different organizations. The feedback was very positive: the majority reported an increase in their board's participation in resource development. Fundraising committees became more active and better informed. More staff and supporters became involved in resource development. Perhaps most important, almost all participants felt their organization had a clear strategic path for meeting its fundraising and resource development needs.
Drop-in Review
Thousands of homeless and precariously housed people rely on drop-in centres throughout the city for a wide range of support services, including information and advice, counselling, activities and food. In keeping with its goal to end street homelessness, Toronto's City Council directed staff to conduct a review to determine what role drop-ins could play in helping people to find and keep housing.
The Drop-in Review, which included focus groups and consultations with a wide range of drop-in providers and drop-in users, established a policy framework that detailed how the City could best support this sector and better administer funding. It identified key gaps in service that required additional funding (such as weekend and holiday hours, and safety improvements). As drop-ins were significantly under-funded, the review gave evidence that showed they required additional funding support.
The review clearly showed the benefits of drop-in centres and key areas where improvements could be made. This will result in improved service, quality and training, and better administration.
Drop-in centres have become an established, ongoing partner in the homelessness service sector and receive core City funding. This ensures sustainable services for clients, and more certainty for the non-profit agencies that provide those services.
Emergency Management Symposium
The first Toronto Emergency Management Symposium, held in 2008, addressed the value of building partnerships among emergency response services, to break down operating silos, and clarify roles and responsibilities, with a focus on recovery. The two-day symposium brought together a wide range of professionals commonly involved in emergency management – including people in the areas of mitigation, preparedness and response and recovery – to share information and insights, ideas and best practices.
The information shared and new partnerships forged have greatly increased the City's response and recovery capabilities. The symposium also brought about a renewed commitment from traditional and non-traditional responders to work together as a team to improve service to the public. Lessons learned will help future planning efforts and the creation of emergency practice exercises.
Feedback from surveys indicated the symposium was a great success. In fact, the demand for this kind of emergency management information was so great that the symposium will now be held annually.
Emergency Mass Care Response
Mass care is a critical part of the City's response in the aftermath of a public emergency such as fires, blackouts, and floods. Professionals from across Toronto gather together to provide the counselling, shelter and supports for daily living that people need to get back on their feet, and return to business as usual.
In an emergency, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) provides shelter, food, clothing, registration and inquiry, personal services and shelter/reception centre management to meet the urgent needs of evacuees and their pets. In order to do so, SSHA engages other divisions that provide key services to create a shadow organization that unites in emergencies under the direction of SSHA’s Emergency Planning Unit.
In summer 2008, the City of Toronto was able to quickly provide mass care to over 10,000 evacuees displaced by two separate explosions/fires within a three-week period.
Immediately following each fire, the City set up reception centres where residents received crucial information and support including temporary shelter, meals and counselling. The City's ability to respond to two major emergencies within weeks of each other further demonstrates the City's readiness to respond to emergencies.
Serving meals to evacuees at the reception centre for 2 Secord Avenue
Employability Support Team
The City of Toronto’s Housing First policy focuses on ending homelessness by helping people to find and keep permanent housing. Research found that employability services are critical to housing success and achieving self-sufficiency. Many people who are homeless want to work, and have or can develop the skills required to get and keep a job. To that end, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) created the Employability Support Team (EST), funded by the federal government's Homelessness Partnership Initiative. EST consists of specialists who initiate, support and expand employment-related services.
The EST program is the first in Canada to serve the challenging needs of this group. The team created programs and resources for a full range of needs, including vocational assessment, preparatory skills, work skills, job search, job maintenance and success skills. Helping clients achieve independence requires a holistic approach with intensive support over a longer period of time, and the flexibility to overcome failures and setbacks. Programs are tailored for each client with a lot of one-on-one communication.
The EST provides service to about 60 new clients each month and support services to about 200 more clients in community agencies. Within six months, nearly 75% of all clients are part of an employment-related function or activity, including employment training, volunteering or other organized activity. Over 40 clients have found volunteer placements directly through the EST’s Homeless Volunteer Initiative. Annually, about 500 clients improve their work status through EST services, and another 300 clients improve their education.
Service Directories
Clients, their families and their workers need timely, detailed information on services that can either help them end their homelessness or keep their housing. These services are provided through a broad range of government departments, community agencies and non-profit organizations. Searching for information on programs and services for homeless people or those who need support to stay housed can be a difficult task. |
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The two service guides, created by Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) solved this by 1) collecting and tailoring the information to people with specific needs; 2) updating the information on a regular basis; and 3) revising and improving the service listings each year to reflect trends, consumer needs and user feedback.
Creating these guides required input from across the City: from agencies, governments and other service providers to pull together whatever information clients needed, such as where to find low cost meals, how to remove bed bugs, or what to do if they fell into rental arrears.
Social Housing Administration System
Shelter, Support and Housing Administration's Social Housing Unit (SHU) oversees all the social housing units in the City of Toronto; more than 93,000 units and 255 social housing providers. Management of the $16 billion portfolio is a critical function because of the asset value, and because of the importance of a strong, well planned social housing sector to the social and economic fabric of our city. SHU tracks and reconciles funding agreements, buildings, mortgages and subsidies, as well as the rent subsidies it transfer to providers, including to Toronto Community Housing, the City-owned social housing organization.
In 2007, Toronto City Council approved the creation of a single web-based, database system — the Social Housing Administration System (SHAS) — to help SHU staff to better manage the reams of critical social housing data. The aim of SHAS is to have a single automated system that will limit the reliance on spreadsheet applications that are labour intensive and incompatible. SHAS will eliminate manual processes and spreadsheets, reduce errors, and improve staff productivity and timely responses to inquiries and service requests. The automated system is under development and, when fully implemented, will contain a comprehensive inventory of building, mortgage, and financial information, that will help staff with the administration of subsidy programs, decision-making, forecasting, and risk management.
Spotlight on Energy Efficiencies (SEE) Forum and Tradeshow
The City of Toronto funds 255 community-based, non-profit and co-operative social housing providers. When utility costs started taking up to 40 per cent of housing providers’ annual operating budgets, it was clear that green energy upgrades were needed to save money and reduce Toronto’s carbon footprint.
Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) in partnership with the Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC/Globe), co-hosted the Spotlight on Energy Efficiencies (SEE) Conference and Tradeshow in May 2008. The main goal was to show social housing providers the benefits of reducing energy and water use.
The conference included presentations from energy consultants, government, and utility companies covering everything from global warming, government and industry programs and incentives, to the importance of preventive maintenance and lighting retrofits. Participants also attended workshops conducted by housing provider staff on solar hot water heating, roof gardens and green roofs, as well as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
 Vendors showcase their products to social housing providers at the SEE Forum
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Representatives from over 130 housing providers attended the event, and vendors from 30 companies displayed energy-related products and services. In total, approximately 500 people attended the forum.
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Also during the conference, SHSC and Toronto Hydro announced a light upgrade program to provide social housing providers with free compact fluorescent light bulbs. More than 100 providers took advantage of this program in 2008. After the forum, SSHA implemented several funding initiatives to encourage housing providers to undertake major upgrades to improve energy efficiency.
The Cooling Centre Project
Finding opportunities where formerly homeless or marginally housed people can gain skills and experience that can be put to use in the future, is key part of ending homelessness. Toronto's Cooling Centres provided one such opportunity. People were needed to staff the cooling centres 24-hours a day during Extreme Heat Alerts. Change Toronto, a collaborative funded by the federal government's Homeless Partnership Initiative through Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, hired people who had experienced homelessness to work in the cooling centres. It was a great opportunity to gain valuable work experience and develop skills for future employment while earning money.
As cooling centre staff, participants learned leadership, organizational, employment and networking skills while improving their self-esteem and self-confidence. To that end, the City was able to provide a much needed service to the community during Extreme Heat Alerts while providing valuable work experience to those who need it most.
The results: in summer 2008, 1,696 people, seven pets and 46 overnight visitors had a cool place to rest. The cooling centres opened on time, were properly staffed, and engaged visitors in an appropriate and professional manner. At no time was the background of staff made public. Staff provided professional service to visitors during heat alerts which gave the participants a sense of ownership and pride.
In doing so, staff were able to actively challenge stereotypes about people living in poverty. At least five staff secured other part-time employment as a result of gaining work experience and six front-line staff returned to the cooling centres in new coordinator positions in 2009.
Toronto Drop-ins: Creating Health+
For thousands of homeless and vulnerable citizens who rely on drop-in centres for what may be their only meal of the day, every nutrient counts. Toronto Drop-ins: Creating Health+ pulled together a group of partners to respond to the challenge of teaching volunteer chefs how to turn donated food into healthy meals. SSHA provided funding and coordination; Toronto Public Health dieticians assessed drop-in meals and recommended high nutrient foods; George Brown College Centre for Hospitality & Culinary Arts trained drop-in cooks in two day-long sessions; Second Harvest increased donations of food to drop-ins; Daily Bread Food Bank matched funds with the City and managed the project on a day-to-day basis; and the Toronto Drop-in Network helped consult with and inform the drop-in centres.
 Drop-in volunteers learn nutrition and culinary arts at George Brown.
| In the first four months, approximately $150,000 was spent to purchase and distribute 160,450 lbs of food to 17 locations. Servings of milk and milk alternatives tripled, vegetables and fruit doubled, orange vegetables increased by 75%, dark green vegetables doubled, and Vitamin D content increased by 150%. Resources such as the "plate guide," a visual tool for cooks, and easy-to-use recipes have reduced the time and effort needed to plan menus and produce meals leaving more time for other important tasks. Perhaps the most important impact has been on the well-being of the drop-in clients themselves. They reported feeling healthier after a few weeks of fresh and nutrient rich meals.
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