Location: 4117 Lawrence Ave. E.
Shelter residents: All genders
Number of expected beds: up to 89
Date opened: May 2021
Service operator: Homes First Society
The shelter at 4117 Lawrence Ave. E. was opened on May 31, 2021. The shelter is operated by Homes First Society and includes up to 89 beds for people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. Shelters provide temporary accommodation and related support services that assist people to move into housing.
This site was chosen for its proximity to public transportation and community services. The site is central within the Kingston-Galloway / Orton Park neighbourhood. It has access to public parks (Morningside, Highland Creek), and amenities (grocery, health, education) in addition to the community service providers.
Homes First Society provides emergency shelter services at this site. Homes First has been providing supportive housing and shelter for over 35 years. They are one of the largest providers of services to people experiencing homelessness in Toronto.
Call 311 or Central Intake at 416-338-4766, 1-877-338-3398 toll free.
Homes First front-line community shelter workers assist residents with intakes, referrals, crisis management, trauma informed care, harm reduction and general day-to-day support.
Homes First’s Intensive Case Management (ICM) team includes housing help workers and life skills workers. This ICM team includes a Community Engagement & Programs Coordinator whose role is to develop engaging programming and partnerships for residents as well as to respond to external community questions and concerns.
The shelter also provides primary care and health care supports from external agencies.
The shelter has a Community Engagement Space to be utilized for programming, events, community partners, workshops, volunteer engagement and more.
In 2018-2019, Shelter, Support & Housing Administration (SSHA) and Homes First undertook an extensive community engagement process to inform and consult the public on the renovation of 4117 Lawrence Ave. E. as an emergency shelter. This process included two public ‘learn more’ sessions held within the Kingston-Galloway / Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood.
This process resumed in fall 2020 with a schedule of updates communicated to the community and opportunities for feedback.
The engagement is designed in accordance with SSHA’s 2016 engagement framework.
A Community Liaison Committee (CLC) has been established for 4117 Lawrence Ave. E. A CLC is a formal committee connected to a shelter service made up of representatives of the community. CLCs meets on a regular basis to address questions, share information, discuss and collectively problem solve community concerns, and link shelter needs with community offers of support. The focus of the committee is focused on supporting the success of the shelter service in the community.
The CLC for 4117 Lawrence Ave. E. is composed of Kingston-Galloway / Orton Park neighbourhood representatives, Toronto Police Services 43 Division and Councillor. The CLC meet regularly to hear ideas for community involvement, community safety, partnerships and public activities at 4117 Lawrence Ave. E.
To learn more about the CLC or to express an interest in joining, please contact ryan.evershed@homesfirst.on.ca.