New shelters in Toronto will be thoughtfully designed to meet the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness and support community integration, in alignment with best practices outlined in the Shelter Design and Technical Guidelines. Shelters will be purpose built to promote dignity, comfort and prepare residents for independent living.
New sites will:
- Serve approximately 80 people, featuring fewer beds per room
- Have thoughtfully designed exteriors to help integrate into surrounding communities
- Include space for on-site meal preparation, along with communal dining and program rooms
- Be designed to be less institutional and more home-like, featuring natural materials and amenity spaces
- Feature inclusive design that considers demographics of the shelter, such as colours, art and symbols to make people of different backgrounds feel welcome
- Accommodate pets and be accessible
- Support health and wellness through the inclusion of flexible on-site spaces for counselling, primary and mental health care services
- Follow trauma-informed design principles by considering the mental and emotional well-being of shelter residents, providing clear lines of sight and reducing or removing stressors, where possible
- Provide outdoor restorative amenity spaces to support programming and enable shelter residents to connect with nature and each other
- Where possible, include shared space that can be used by the community
Photos of Recently Built Sites Following Best Practices in Design
