Deaths of Shelter Residents

Higher rates of illness and premature death among the homeless population have been widely recognized. The City is committed to identifying and responding in a timely manner to new and emerging issues in the shelter system. That is why when residents or recent residents of Toronto shelters die, operators must notify the City within 24 hours and submit a written report within 14 days.

The Shelter, Support & Housing Administration Division has collected this information since 2007, and does an annual review of the data. Read the 2019 Annual Review.

Key Points

• Since 2007, there have been 359 reported deaths, an average of 27.6 deaths per year
• Since 2007, 174 of the 242 deaths (71.9%) that occurred outside of shelter took place in some type of health care facility (e.g. hospital, palliative or hospice care)
• Of previous years, the highest number of deaths occurred in 2019 when there were 48 with  the average age of a decedent age of 54.3 years. Reported deaths for 2020 will exceed that total by end of the year.
• Since 2007, Seaton House’s Annex/Infirmary and long-term programs have reported the most deaths (166 combined), which represent 46.2% of all shelter deaths.

A Note About Privacy

For reasons of client privacy and respect for confidentiality, even in death, we are not able to provide names, dates of birth, place of death, or any other information that might identify the deceased. We can present this data in aggregate form only. Additionally, shelter operators and Hostel Services are not generally advised of cause of death information or presented with a Medical Certificate of Death because this information is not readily shared with anyone other than next of kin.

Deaths of clients of shelters funded by the City of Toronto

Yearly statistics going back to 2007 are provided in the tables below. For more detailed statistics, see Toronto Public Health’s Monitoring Deaths of Homeless People.