The City is seeking non-profit organizations interested in operating new shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness, expected to open in or around 2026. 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.
Read the complete Shelter Operator Expression of Interest Guidelines
Proponents must meet the following requirements to be eligible for this Expression of Interest (EOI):
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 shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness across the following sectors:
Separate processes will be held in the future to secure operators to run Black-led and Indigenous sites.
The current Expression of Interest is for sites expected to open in or around 2026, subject to site acquisition, due diligence, construction and other factors.
Under HSCIS, the City plans to open up to 20 new shelter sites by 2033.The City intends to launch an Expression for Interest annually, over the course of 2024-2033, as additional HSCIS shelter sites are acquired. This means that organizations will have the opportunity to apply for future EOIs. The City intends to allocate a maximum of one HSCIS site to each successful lead organization over HSCIS’ 10-year period, unless otherwise noted.
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 Evaluation Committee will invite the applicant with the best match to that site and highest score to participate in the second stage application, which will include the need to provide:
Applicants may also be asked to provide a site visit of a current operation and/or their facility if the applicant is proposing use of their own facility.
If the Evaluation Committee is not satisfied with the applicant’s responses in stage 2, the Evaluation Committee will invite the next applicant with the best match and highest score to participate in the second stage application.
Should an organization successfully complete phase 2, 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.