65 Dundas Street East

Site Operations and Wrap-Around Supports

The City has contracted management and provision of service at 65 Dundas Street East to Dixon Hall.

There are 250 rooms available for adult singles and couples. Beyond the immediate need to create space in the shelter system, a key focus of this site is to outreach to people currently experiencing homelessness in the City of Toronto.

65 Dundas Street East provides numerous wrap-around supports for all shelter residents, including:

• Staff are always available on-site to support residents 24/7
• Residents are assigned a Counsellor/Case Manager who work with them on developing a permanent housing plan
• Residents are assessed, and the appropriate referrals are made for community services and supports both inside the shelter, and with outside organizations
• Three meals daily are provided along with recreational programming
• Access to harm reduction, which is a public health approach that aims to reduce harms related to substance use
• Inner City Health Associates provide a number of mental and physical health related supports including:
  • Five days a week Nursing Support: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with one RN, one RPN and one Nurse Practitioner providing supports and interventions to all residents from an on-site clinic
  • Two days per week primary care physician
  • Half day per week addictions medicine clinic (on site or virtual)
  • Half to one day per week psychiatry
  • Pharmacist services and prescription delivery 7 days a week
  • Additional mental health case management supports through a community partner, M-DOT (Multi-Disciplinary Outreach Team) five days a week

Community Safety

Safety and security is a priority for the City and Dixon Hall. Ongoing safety planning and delivery is a key component of the community engagement process. Dixon Hall, Toronto Police Services, Shelter Support and Housing Administration and Corporate Security at the City of Toronto work closely together in developing community safety measures for the location. A number of community safety initiatives and measures have been put in place for this site including:

• A team of four security staff provide security within the building and a team of two community safety staff provide onsite support inside the shelter and provide security in the immediate perimeter of the property 24/7
  • Two Community Safety Teams (CST) patrol the area around the property from Bay Street to Church Street, and from Queen Street to Gerrard Street.
  • All team members are trained to respond to immediate non-police or non-EMS related matters when made aware by the community.
  • Teams also patrol “hotspots” identified by the community and pick up needles and harm reduction materials.
• Dixon Hall and Community Safety Team staff partner weekly for neighbourhood outreach walks with the Downtown-Yonge BIA Community Engagement Team and Toronto Police.
• Dixon Hall participates in weekly Safety & Security Table meetings for the Yonge and Dundas Neighbourhood

Harm Reduction and Overdose Support

Toronto is seeing a substantial rise in fatal opioid overdoses and related shelter deaths, which is increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to many reasons, such as the need to physically distance, which is resulting in individuals using drugs alone, and the toxicity of the unregulated drug supply.

To help save lives, the City partnered with community agencies to launch iPHARE, an Integrated Prevention and Harm Reduction initiative. iPHARE provides harm reduction and mental health case management services.

It also includes Urgent Public Health Needs Sites, also known as overdose prevention sites or supervised consumption services, in selected shelters, allowing shelter residents to consume drugs under trained supervision to reduce the risk of overdose.

65 Dundas Street East was selected to host one of these sites and has been providing supervised consumption services (SCS) since December 2020.The SCS site is not open to the public. It is for residents of the hotel only.

iPHARE saves lives, reduces public drug use and reduces drug paraphernalia in parks and public spaces. It also assists first responders, harm reduction workers and shelter workers who are faced every day with the difficult job of reversing overdoses or coping with overdose fatalities.

Visit the iPHARE webpage to learn more.

Community Engagement and Community Liaison Committee

The City and Dixon Hall has developed partnerships with other community agencies to ensure that this is a shelter that can be a resource for the community.

A community engagement process, which included an informational flyer and Information Session, was conducted in mid-September and the establishment of a Community Liaison Committee (CLC) was created in November 2020. The CLC includes various stakeholders from the community. CLC meetings occur monthly and are facilitated by Dixon Hall’s Community Engagement Supervisor. The CLC enables community members to learn more information about the site, ask questions, and work with Dixon Hall and the City to ensure the success of this service in the community. Please see a copy of the CLC Terms of Reference.

Dixon Hall’s Community Engagement Supervisor can also be contacted with any questions.

Contact Information

• Email: bondplace.hotel@dixonhall.org

Dixon Hall – Immediate Site Contact

• Telephone: 416-688-5014

Dixon Hall – General Inquiries

• Telephone: 416-668-3716

Converting the temporary shelter into permanent, affordable and supportive homes

The City of Toronto is purchasing the property at 65 Dundas Street East to respond to the urgent need for permanent affordable homes.

Starting in September 2022, the shelter program will begin a phased closure while renovations take place. Existing shelter clients will be fully supported to find new temporary shelter spaces or more permanent homes.

Dixon Hall will manage and support current shelter clients during the closure of the temporary shelter program. The complete closure of the temporary shelter program is expected by the end of 2023. City staff will continue to work with community stakeholders to ensure the current temporary shelter program at 65 Dundas Street East and planned housing program are successful in the community. For more information, please email: communityliaison@bigideaspace.ca 

For further information about the changes coming to 65 Dundas Street East, and to stay informed, visit toronto.ca/65DundasEast.