Assessment and Referral Centre welcomes first clients
The arrival of the first clients at the new Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre on October 29, 2010, marks a new chapter in the program’s history. Five services operate under a single roof, bringing together a unique mix of housing assistance, referral, street respite and transition to housing beds. Dedicated local outreach will be added shortly. These services are designed to help some of Toronto's most vulnerable residents find permanent housing. While they stay at the centre, clients work on finding housing and getting back into the community.

Specially designed to serve those who are street-involved
The Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre is a specialized facility located at Richmond and Peter Streets in Toronto's downtown core. It focuses on helping clients who are generally not being served in other programs in the city. They are typically not users of the emergency shelter system and are sleeping outside or spending much of their day on the street panhandling.

Clients staying at emergency shelters are generally not eligible for service at the Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre. The exception is use of the overnight walk-in referral service to emergency shelter.

Services provided at 129 Peter Street
1.  24 hour street respite
The overnight street respite service that was located in the temporary Assessment and Referral Centre at 67 Adelaide Street East is now closed. Once the service is fully implemented at the Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre, this will be available 24 hours a day.

At the new site, street-involved people continue to find a safe place to rest. And now they can also access showers, laundry, food services, and health care, and hours have been extended. Everyone using the service is encouraged and assisted to develop and follow a housing plan.

The site is not a traditional drop in and programming is specifically designed to work with street involved people who do not use other mainstream services. Snacks and meals are only available to clients of the Street Respite program. This is not a drop-in meal program.

2.  Walk-in housing assistance
This is a daily service available Monday to Friday for people sleeping outside or who are street involved. Housing counsellors assist clients to develop a housing plan and provide assessment, counselling, linkages to services and accompaniment to access those other services. Appointments can be made but are not required. The office at 112 Elizabeth Street that previously provided this service in the mornings only has now been closed. For now, this is being offered at the Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre in the mornings but will be expanded to operate 9 am until 5 pm.

3.  Walk-in referral to shelters
This service is available to all couples and singles walking into the facility between 8 pm and 8 am who are looking for an emergency shelter bed. Staff will find an available bed in the shelter system and, if required, will arrange for transportation for the client to get there. Note that 24 hour service is available via telephone.

4.  Transition to housing beds
There are up to 40 beds available for men, women, transgendered people and couples who have been referred through the street respite services, the walk-in housing service or who are referred by the Streets to Homes outreach team. These beds are not part of the regular shelter system, and referral will be part of a client's longer term housing plan. These beds help housing workers to successfully house clients by providing a consistent, easily accessible location where housing outreach workers can meet their clients for appointments and pass along messages about housing opportunities.

People who are regularly staying in the shelter system will not be eligible to use these beds.

5.  Local outreach
Streets to Homes outreach workers will be available at the Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre every day specifically to respond to direct calls from the local community. Staff will attend on scene to assist local stakeholders with issues related to homelessness and panhandling.

Contact the Streets to Homes Assessment and Referral Centre:
416-392-0090, 24 hours a day.