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 report the deaths verbally to the City within 24 hours and via a written report within 30 days.

The Shelter, Support & Housing Administration Division has collected this information since 2007, and does an annual review of the data. Read the 2018 Annual Review.

Key Points

• Since 2007, there have been 311 reported deaths, an average of 28.2 deaths per year
• Since 2007, 153 of the 213 deaths (71.8%) that occurred outside of shelter took place in some type of health care facility (e.g. hospital, palliative or hospice care)
• The highest number of deaths occurred in 2015 when there were 45 with the average age of a decedent at 58.3 years
• Of the deaths within shelters since 2007, most have occurred at Seaton House Main Hostel and Annex/Infirmary programs, year over year

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.