The George Street Revitalization (GSR) project is a transformative initiative that will replace the existing Seaton House men’s shelter with a new, modern facility. This project will co-locate essential services, including a long-term care home, shelter services, supportive housing, and a community service hub.
The GSR project advances key initiatives aimed at addressing systemic barriers and meeting the needs of equity-deserving groups who rely on accessing services in Toronto’s Downtown East area.
Phase one of the revitalization project involves the redevelopment of 309-345 George Street into a 10-storey institutional building that will better serve vulnerable residents and the broader community. This phase of the project will:
Project details may be found on the City’s Application Information Centre.
This facility will be designed to serve the entire community by:
The City of Toronto is committed to securing the necessary resources to uphold principles of green infrastructure, inclusive social services, and accessibility, ensuring the facility meets the evolving needs of the community.
Staff are exploring development opportunities to deliver additional affordable housing on the southern parcel of land. A separate Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment will be brought forward for consideration later in 2025.
The Long-Term Care Capital Renewal Plan (LTC) is an exciting opportunity to modernize and improve the design of long-term care homes while advancing the vision to be a centre of excellence in seniors’ services and long-term care. More than just beds, gardens, gathering and program spaces are included to provide safe and diverse quality of life.
The LTC home will also reflect the social and physical environments of home, provide enrichment spaces and programs, and incorporate technology, safety in design, and the latest in Infection Prevention and Control standards, while in full compliance with the Fixing Long-Term Care Act (FLTCA) and other applicable provincial regulations and requirements
In recent years the rise in shelter use and housing instability has reached unprecedented levels, with an increasing number of individuals experiencing homelessness.
Many of these individuals also face complex health challenges, which are further exacerbated by their lack of stable housing. The Transitional Shelter is a specialized program designed to provide enhanced healthcare support for those with these needs. This unique program offers a safe, supportive environment where residents can focus on stabilizing their health while developing the necessary skills to transition into permanent housing as it becomes available.
The facility, which accommodates 100 residents of all genders, operates in collaboration with community partners to ensure a compassionate, client-centered approach to care. Through this holistic model, the Transitional Shelter helps individuals rebuild their lives with the goal of long-term housing stability.
Originally built in the late 1950s as an office building, the facility which currently houses Seaton House was never designed to serve as a long-term shelter and has now reached the end of its service life. As one of the largest shelters in North America, its size and centralized structure no longer align with current best practices for providing emergency shelter services.
In response to the growing need for more accessible and localized support, the City has expanded its shelter network to offer safe shelter and comprehensive services at over 100 locations citywide.
The new emergency shelter will be reimagined with a smaller, purpose-built design that adheres to updated shelter guidelines and best practices. With 80 beds, the new facility will provide enhanced privacy, improved living conditions, and better access to wrap-around support services. This will enable us to offer more individualized care to those in need, ensuring a higher quality of support as residents work toward stability and permanent housing.
The Community Hub, informed by the Downtown East Action Plan’s efforts to enhance stability for marginalized populations, will be an accessible and inclusive space for holistic service planning. It will integrate mental health and social supports, ensuring individuals have seamless access to essential resources in a coordinated and supportive environment.
The Community Hub will be a facility designed to adapt programming to offer multiple services and to respond appropriately to changing neighbourhood needs including local emergencies and natural disasters. The hub will become a safe location for refuge, commercial food production, an emergency distribution centre and a power generator.
Supportive housing is a combination of deeply affordable housing and on-site supports that enable people to live as independently as possible. In 2019, the City adopted the HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan (“HousingTO Plan”) which set a target of creating 18,000 new supportive homes by 2030.
Through the George Street Revitalization, the City will be adding approximately 70 supportive homes to the community. These homes advance the City’s efforts to achieve its supportive housing targets and will help people experiencing homelessness stabilize their lives, stay housed and contribute to their communities.
The co-location of onsite facilities will provide residents with access to a spectrum of services to support their health and well-being. Through these new supportive homes, the City will work with community-based service providers to achieve long-term housing stability for people experiencing homelessness.
The redevelopment of 295-349 George Street is being divided into two phases:
Phase 1 – 309-349 George Street: The City is proposing an amendment to the Official Plan and the Zoning By-law to permit a 10-storey institutional building, containing 80 emergency shelter beds, 100 transitional shelter beds, 124 long-term care beds, 70 supportive housing units and a 2,269 square metre community hub. The proposal would replace the existing Seaton House men’s shelter.
Phase 2 – 295-305 George Street: Staff are exploring development opportunities to deliver additional affordable housing on the southern parcel of land. A separate Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment will be brought forward for consideration later in 2025.
In February 2024, City Council directed staff to discontinue the partnership with Infrastructure Ontario to deliver the George Street Revitalization project and to explore a City delivered method of delivery. That process is now completed and a staff report detailing the new strategy will be submitted for council review and approval in April, 2025.
George Street Revitalization (GSR) continues to rely on stakeholder input to inform and shape this exciting city-building project that will see a long-term care facility, an emergency shelter for men, an all-gender transitional shelter and a community-oriented service hub take shape.
Learn more about GSR Stakeholder Reference Group.