(Report dated June 1, 1998, addressed to the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee, from the Commissioner of Community and Neighbourhood Services.)

Subject:Community of Origin of People Admitted to Emergency Hostels

Purpose:

The purpose of the report is to detail the results of a survey investigating the community of origin of hostel admissions from March 16 - 29, 1998. The resulting statistics describe the admissions to the shelter system of people who came from a community outside Toronto within the last two years.

Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

None.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that this report be received for information by the Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee.

Council Reference/Background/History:

None.

Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:

Background:

The Hostel Services Division began collecting statistics on hostel users in 1987. Since that time statistics have been collected on the clients= place of residence one year prior to admission. This information was needed for funding purposes and was collected on a very broad level. There were four possible answers to the question "Where did you live one year ago?", they were as follows:

(1)Metropolitan Toronto;

(2)Elsewhere in Ontario;

(3)Elsewhere in Canada; and

(4)Outside of Canada.

In 1996, the most recent year for which statistics are available, of 68,949 admissions, 86.4 percent came from Metropolitan Toronto; 4.6 percent came from elsewhere in Ontario; 4.8 percent came from elsewhere in Canada; and the remaining 4.2 percent came from outside the country.

While the information mentioned above is useful, it is collected on a discharge basis and is not always available in a timely manner. As the number of admissions to the shelter system continued to increase, staff worked to develop a better profile of individuals being admitted to the shelters and to look at the possibility of developing priorities for admissions, perhaps including consideration of community of origin. Staff also wished to determine the accuracy of anecdotal information regarding an increase in arrivals from outside Toronto. Additionally, changes to the funding of emergency shelters, specifically the loss of 100 percent funding for non-resident cases, and discussions regarding the pooling of social services costs, also made it important for staff to have a clearer picture of the community of origin of clients. For these reasons, staff instigated a survey of the community of origin of clients being admitted to the system.

Survey Process:

At the beginning of March, the Community of Origin Survey was distributed to all shelters funded or operated by the City. A copy of the survey is appended. Shelters were requested to complete one survey for each admission which took place between March 16 and March 29 of 1998. The surveys were generally completed by shelter staff, although in some cases, surveys were completed by the clients admitted. Information was requested on each client's home community 6 months ago, 1 year ago and 2 years ago. Additionally, information was collected on the clients' gender, age, reasons for service, as well as whether they were a first time or repeat user. Surveys were completed by 27 of 31 shelters and a total of 1,220 surveys were completed. The return rate reflects approximately 50 percent of the admissions which would normally be expected in a two-week period.

Survey Results:

The average age of survey respondents was 33, with the youngest respondent being 16 and the oldest being 78. Sixty-four percent of all respondents were male. One-third of the respondents were first time users of a hostel in Toronto. Reasons for seeking admissions were given as follows: Housing - 22 percent; Family Breakdown - 21percent; Economic - 17 percent; Health - 13 percent; and Other - 27 percent. The most common reasons listed in the other category were:

(1)refugee;

(2)escaping abuse;

(3)new immigrant;

(4)new to the city;

(5)discharged from correctional facilities; and

(6)leaving unsafe premises.

Forty percent of respondents indicated that they had lived outside of Toronto sometime within the last two years. Twenty-three percent of respondents had never lived in Toronto at any time in the last two years. The following chart provides a break down of community of origin over the last two years:

Clients= Home Community by Percentage:

* Surrounding 4 regions are Peel, Durham, York and Halton

** Mostly discharges from Ontario correctional facilities

It is worth noting that 13.4 percent of admissions indicated that they lived in Ontario two years ago but came from communities outside of Toronto. This represents 162 admissions in a two-week period which extrapolates to 4,212 admissions annually. (Again, it should be noted that these surveys represent only 50 percent of the average number of expected admissions in a two-week period.)

Also important, in light of recent provincial funding decisions regarding non-resident clients, is the fact that 19.1 percent of clients indicated that they had home communities outside of Ontario one year ago. In previous years, funding for those clients would have been provided 100 percent at the provincial level. Now funding is 20 percent cost shared by the City.

The community of origin of these clients is extremely diverse. Two years ago, 8.6 percent of admissions were living elsewhere in Ontario (excluding the four surrounding regions), but they came from 29 different home communities. Clients came from all nine other provinces, with only the North West and Yukon Territories not being represented. Those who indicated that they had come from outside of Canada represented 49 different home countries.

Conclusion:

The two-week data would indicate that people are continuing to migrate and immigrate to Toronto and that a significant number are finding their way into the emergency shelter system. While the volume entering the system is high, clients do not come from one specific place, but represent upwards of 100 different home communities/countries. These two-week statistics indicate a much higher level of non-Toronto residents entering the shelter system than has previously been shown in annual statistics. Staff will continue to monitor the situation.

 Contact Name:

 John Jagt

Director of Hostel Services Division

Tel: (416) 392-5358

Fax: (416) 392-8876

E-mail: john_jagt@metrodesk.metrotor.on.ca

(Copy of attachment is on file, in the office of the City Clerk.)