65 Dundas Street East

Site Operations and Wrap-Around Supports

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

65 Dundas St. 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
• 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
  • One day per week primary care physician
  • Half day per week addictions medicine clinic
  • 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 six 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 Yonge St. and Shuter St. towards Church St. and Dundas St. East and west towards Bay and Dundas St. West
  • 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 non-fatal and fatal opioid overdoses within the overall community, as well as within the shelter system, with a notable increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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.

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 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 Shelter into Permanent Affordable and Supportive Homes

The City of Toronto has purchased the property at 65 Dundas St. East to respond to the urgent need for permanent affordable homes.

Starting in September 2022, the shelter program at this location began a phased closure to accommodate conversion of the
building to housing. The full closure of the program is expected in summer 2024.

Dixon Hall will manage and support shelter clients to move into housing, whenever possible, or another shelter site, throughout the phased closure. Staff will assist clients with moves to their new locations and work to ensure a smooth transition of wrap-around supports.

City staff will continue to work with community stakeholders to ensure the current temporary shelter program at 65 Dundas St. 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 St. East, and to stay informed, visit toronto.ca/65DundasEast.