Location: 65 Dundas Street East
Shelter residents: All gender
Number of rooms: 250
Opened: August 21, 2020
Service operator: Dixon Hall Neighbourhood Services
As part of the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for physical distancing in the shelter system, 65 Dundas Street East has been leased by the City of Toronto for use as an emergency support, temporary shelter program.
The City of Toronto is purchasing the property at 65 Dundas Street East to respond to the urgent need for permanent affordable homes. Learn more about the project, including timelines.
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:
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:
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.
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
Dixon Hall – Immediate Site Contact
Dixon Hall – General Inquiries
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.