The City is seeking Black-mandated non-profit organizations and/or groups interested in operating a shelter for Black people experiencing homelessness. Applicants must:
Collaborative applications are welcome from non-profit organizations interested in operating a site together.
The Black-mandated shelter is part of the City’s Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS), which aims to open up to 20 new shelter sites by 2033.
Approved by City Council in November 2023, the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS) outlines a plan to transition the City’s shelter system from an emergency-focused pandemic response, to a long-term proactive model that supports recovery and stability of the shelter system.
Through HSCIS, between 2024-2033, the City plans to develop up to 1,600 new shelter spaces across up to 20 new shelter sites. These spaces will enable the City to move away from the use of temporary shelter hotels and toward smaller, more purpose-built sites that are more cost-efficient and better service client needs.
The City is committed to ensuring that its homelessness services, including emergency and transitional shelters, are accessible and responsive to the needs of all people experiencing homelessness. Under HSCIS, the City will be looking to identify growth in areas where there is significant need, such as families, youth, Black-led, and Indigenous spaces.
Through the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, the City has committed to creating a Black-mandated shelter that provides culturally appropriate services for Black people experiencing homelessness.
In December 2017, City Council approved the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism to help address the systemic barriers faced by Black people in Toronto and ensure more equitable policies, programs and services. Specifically, recommendation 10 of the Action Plan relates to improving shelter conditions to better support Black Torontonians. The Five-Year Action Plan was the result of a collaborative effort between the City of Toronto and Torontonians of Black and of African descent.
The City has committed to ensuring that its homelessness services are accessible and responsive to the needs of all Black individuals experiencing homelessness. The creation of a distinct Expression of Interest (EOI) for a Black-mandated operator takes into consideration the distinct needs and experiences of Black clients experiencing homelessness. To develop the EOI, the City held engagement sessions with Black serving agencies, Black-led community and grassroots organizations interested in operating a municipal shelter.
At least one Black-mandated shelter will be developed through the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS). Once a site is secured, the shelter development process may range from three to five years before the shelter site opens.
The City continues to host a Knowledge Exchange Table with service delivery partners to respond to the unique needs of Black populations experiencing homelessness.
A Qualified List will be developed to select operators for future HSCIS Black-mandated sites or other relevant TSSS shelter projects.
Note: Black refers to people of African descent who self-identify as Black. Other terms that are used interchangeably with Black are: Black Canadians, African Canadians, and People of African Descent (e.g. Afro-Latinx, Afro-Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, East African, West African, Southern and Central African, etc.). For the purposes of this EOI, the City uses Black to encompass all the terms above.
Summary
Proponents must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this Expression of Interest (EOI):
Organizations with less than one year of municipal shelter experience are welcome to apply and will have the opportunity to provide information on how their experience is transferrable. These organizations are strongly encouraged to identify mentors to support with capacity building and will have the opportunity to outline their plan that speaks to this work.
Read the complete Shelter Operator Expression of Interest Guidelines – Black-mandated Shelter Stream.
Non-profit organizations can work together to submit an application, so long as one organization is identified as the lead and is responsible for executing all agreements with the City. The organizations can work in partnership to operate the shelter, with each organization having specific roles and responsibilities. Collaborative applicants will be required to submit a partnership agreement at a later stage in the EOI process. Please note that a collaborative organization is different than a trustee organization.
Unincorporated Black-mandated organizations or groups can apply by partnering with a trustee organization that supports fund administration and other operations. This applies only if the lead organization is an unincorporated association and/or incorporated non-profit organization without a financial statement that was audited within the last 23 months.
Successful applicants will be required to provide the scope of work listed below.
Please note this is a high-level description of requirements detailed in the Toronto Shelter Standards and the Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Directive. Applicants should familiarize themselves with the Toronto Shelter Standard as it sets clear guidelines and minimum requirements that all emergency and transitional shelters funded or operated by the City of Toronto are expected to meet.
The City provides successful applicants with the funds needed to deliver a shelter program, as required, within a reasonable range of comparable municipally funded shelter operations. Successful applicants are required to enter into an Operating Agreement with the City’s Toronto Shelter & Support Services division, prior to receiving funding. Ongoing operational funding is subject to annual review and contingent on City Council’s annual budget approval.
Successful applicants will operate emergency shelter programs in a facility provided by the City. In general, these facilities will:
Prior to submitting an application, applicants should ensure they:
Applications will not be accepted for any of the following reasons:
Eligible applications will be evaluated and scored by an Evaluation Committee made up of a staff from across the City’s Toronto Shelter & Support Services Division. These staff bring with them expertise and knowledge in the areas of shelter operations, anti-Black racism, direct service delivery, budget and capital development, among other areas. Complete details on evaluation criteria and scoring can be found in the Shelter Operator Expression of Interest Guidelines.
Proponents will be evaluated and scored according to their:
The Proponent who receives the highest score on their application (“Prospective Proponent”) and is deemed the best match for the Black-mandated site will be invited to participate in the second stage of the EOI, which is a due diligence exercise. This includes but is not limited to a review of financial and organizational health, B3 self-assessment verification and compatibility with Toronto Shelter Standards, prior to being deemed the Successful Proponent for the site.
Should an organization successfully complete Stage 2 of the EOI and agree to move forward, the Evaluation Committee will make a recommendation to the General Manager of Toronto Shelter & Support Services for final selection.
Applicants that do not meet the eligibility criteria will not have their applications proceed to a full review.
All eligible applicants will be informed of the outcome of the Expression of Interest. All decisions are final and there is no appeal process.
Unsuccessful proponents can request feedback from TSSS on their Application via email to ShelterEOI@toronto.ca within 30 calendar days of receiving notification of their unsuccessful application.
Applicants that achieve a score of at least 60 out of 100 will be added to a ‘Qualified List’. This list may be used for future Black mandated HSCIS sites or relevant TSSS’ shelter projects.
The City hosted virtual information sessions on April 3 and 7 for organizations interested in applying to the Expression of Interest to run a Black-mandated shelter. At each session, staff went over the eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria and how to apply to the EOI. View a copy of the presentation given at the session.
Organizations who are unable to attend an information session, can email ShelterEOI@Toronto.ca to schedule a virtual appointment for City staff to provide an overview of the presentation.
Should you have questions regarding the EOI Application and process, please email ShelterEOI@toronto.ca.
The Expression of Interest to operate a new Indigenous shelter closed on Wednesday, January 29. The City is currently evaluation applications and expects to inform all eligible applicants of the outcome in Q2 2025.
Application Resources
The general Expression of Interest to become an operator of a shelter to support single adults, families, youth or seniors experiencing homelessness closed on Sunday, October 6, 2024. The City has evaluated applications and expects to inform all eligible applicants of the outcomes in Q2 2025.