Toronto Shelter & Support Services – Compliments & Complaints

Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS) is a homelessness service provider and funder responsible for service planning, oversight and integration of homelessness services across Toronto.   

If you have used a TSSS service, we ask that you first speak directly with staff where the issue occurred to allow staff an opportunity to resolve your concern before submitting a complaint to TSSS. Most complaints are resolved this way. 

Each service or program that TSSS oversees has its own internal complaints process:

Central Intake is a 24-hour telephone-based service run by TSSS that provides intake, information and referrals to emergency shelter and respite services, and information about other homelessness and housing services.  

If you are unsatisfied with this service:  

  • Ask to speak to a Shift Leader.
  • If you feel that your concern remains unresolved, you can ask to have your concern reviewed by Central Intake Management.
  • The Shift Leader will provide you with information about who to contact to escalate your complaint.  

          Shelters and twenty-four-hour homeless services include TSSS-operated and community-operated programs that provide temporary accommodation and related support. These programs are required to have policies and procedures regarding compliments, complaints, and appeals.  

          If you are unsatisfied with this service:  

          • Ask to speak with a supervisor or the site’s complaints lead. Some sites may have a complaints form, but completing a form is not required to make a complaint.
          • If you feel that your concern remains unresolved, you can ask to have your concern reviewed by the site’s management.
          • If your concern remains unresolved, you may contact Toronto Shelter and Support Services directly.  

              Drop-in services are low-barrier services that provide access to food, showers, information and referrals, and social or recreational activities in a welcoming environment.  

              TSSS provides funding to some, but not all, of Toronto’s drop-in programs. The drop-in programs that TSSS funds often have policies or procedures regarding compliments, complaints and appeals.   

              If you are unsatisfied with this service:  

              • Ask to speak with a supervisor.
              • If you feel that your concern remains unresolved, you can ask to have your concern reviewed by the program’s management staff.
              • If your concern remains unresolved, you may contact Toronto Shelter and Support Services directly.  

                  Streets to Homes services, including street outreach, support people experiencing homelessness who are living outside or spending a significant amount of time on the street. These services help connect people with shelter, housing and other supports.  

                  If you are living outside and unsatisfied with these services: 

                  • Ask to be connected with a supervisor. Outreach staff will document your concern and provide you with the contact information of the supervisor who will be following up on your complaint.
                  • If you feel that your concern remains unresolved, you can ask to have your concern reviewed by Outreach or Encampment Management staff, or you can contact Toronto Shelter and Support Services directly. 

                    If your concern is about an encampment location in the community, including debris, health and safety concerns, or impacts to a public space, please contact 311 Toronto. 

                    If it is determined that a complaint can be more effectively addressed by other City Divisions, it will be forwarded to and responded to by those respective Divisions.  

                    How to Submit a Complaint to TSSS

                    Communications should be respectful. The City is an inclusive public organization. Racist or other forms of prejudicial, derogatory, or discriminatory comments and questions, including name calling, will not be tolerated. 

                    If you are not satisfied with how your issue was handled and you have exhausted the program’s internal complaints process, you may submit a complaint to TSSS through the following options:  

                        Accessible formats, communication support, or disability-related accommodations can also be requested through email or voicemail.  

                        After your complaint is received:  

                        • TSSS will review your complaint and direct it to the appropriate staff for follow-up.
                        • You may be requested to follow up directly with the staff or provider from the received service.
                        • When TSSS staff conclude their review of your complaint, you will receive a summary response that includes information on how to further escalate your concerns if you choose to do so. The escalation process varies depending on the type of program or service you received.
                        • TSSS will issue a final, complaint close-out response from management when the complaint is considered closed.  

                              If you are unsatisfied with the complaint close-out response from TSSS, you may contact Ombudsman Toronto.  

                              Notice of Collection

                              Toronto Shelter and Support Services staff review all compliments and complaints. Toronto Shelter and Support Services collects personal information for the purpose of complaint investigation under legal authority of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, section 136(c), and the City of Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 169, Officials, City, Article 1, City Manager, sections 169-1, 169-2 and 169-4. When investigating a complaint, the circumstances may indirectly identify you, even if submitted anonymously. Complaints will be dealt with in a confidential manner according to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Information submitted to TSSS will be collected, used, and disclosed for the purpose of investigating complaints in accordance with MFIPPA.