The City is seeking non-profit organizations interested in operating new shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness, expected to open in or around 2027. Applicants must:
Joint applications are welcome from non-profit organizations interested in operating a site together.
The new shelters are 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.
Advancing reconciliation across the homelessness service sector requires meaningful and proactive engagement and collaboration with Indigenous service providers. This work builds on the City of Toronto Reconciliation Action Plan 2022-2032, and the Meeting in the Middle Engagement Strategy and Action Plan, which works to collectively address Indigenous homelessness in Toronto.
Through the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, the City has committed 20 per cent of all future infrastructure funding for new shelter development to Indigenous shelter services. This includes the development of approximately of four new Indigenous operated sites between 2024 and 2033.
The process for developing these sites was co-designed in partnership with the Toronto Indigenous Community Advisory Board (TICAB), including the Expression of Interest to select the site operators.
An Indigenous women’s shelter will be prioritized as the first Indigenous shelter site. A Qualified List will also be developed to select Indigenous operators for future Indigenous sites as new locations are secured by the City.
Read the complete Shelter Operator Express of Interest Guidelines – Indigenous Stream
Proponents for the current Expression of Interest (EOI) – Indigenous Stream must meet the following requirements:
The City welcomes joint applications from non-profit organizations interested in operating a site together, so long as one organization is identified as the lead and responsible for executing all agreements with the City. Joint applicants will be required to submit a proposed governance and decision-making model to clarify the relationship.
Organizations without direct experience operating an emergency shelter are welcome to apply and will be given the opportunity to provide information on how their experience is transferrable. However, organizations will be scored according to their depth and length of experience in delivering programs and services for individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as experience in the operation of a municipal emergency shelter.
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. 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 will provide 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 will be 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 the emergency shelter program in a facility provided by the City. In general, these facilities will:
Organizations may apply to operate a shelter in their own facility (either owned or with a long-term lease) by completing the appropriate section of the Application form. These organizations will be considered separately, given they do not need to rely on the City to provide an HSCIS location.
The City is currently accepting applications to operate new Indigenous shelters, prioritizing an Indigenous women’s shelter as the first Indigenous site to open under the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy.
Indigenous organizations interested in operating an Indigenous shelter for other sectors (i.e. youth, single adults, families) are also encouraged to apply to this Expression of Interest. A Qualified List will be developed to select operators for future Indigenous HSCIS sites, as locations become available.
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 selection of staff from across the City’s Toronto Shelter & Support Services Division. Complete details on evaluation criteria and scoring can be found in the Shelter Operator Expression of Interest Guidelines.
As the City secures each new shelter site, the applicant with the best match to that site and highest score will be invited to participate in a due diligence exercise to further review the financial health of the organization, provide an opportunity for the selected Proponent(s) to meet with the City to develop a budget for the proposed program and discuss the proposed program model and program partnerships.
Should an organization successfully complete stage 2 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 achieve a score of at least 60 out of 100 in each sector-based category, will be added to a ‘Qualified List’ to be considered for upcoming HSCIS shelter sites. Organizations will have the opportunity to update their application as needed through the annual EOI process, should they wish to be considered for future opportunities.
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. The City is currently evaluating applications and expects to inform all eligible applicants of the outcome in early 2025.