As Torontonians brace for another weekend of plummeting temperatures, the City of Toronto is readying additional shelter spaces to ensure those in our community experiencing homelessness have a safe and warm place to come in from the cold.
Staff are working tirelessly to bring more than 80 spaces online for the weekend. These spaces are in addition to the up to 49 spaces that were activated across the city last weekend. Additional spaces have been made available at existing shelters, 24-hour respite sites and Warming Centres by working with staff and service providers to maximize space and add resources in order to bring new spaces online. The City has also opened temporary contingency spaces in areas that are not currently used as sleeping spaces, such as common areas. Clients in need of emergency shelter will be referred to these spaces from Central Intake. Central Intake can be reached at 416-397-5637.
Last night, 7,741 people were provided shelter by the City, compared to 7,042 on November 5, 2021. Space remained available last night, including at the Peter Street Warming Centre. Between 11:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. Streets to Homes outreach teams and agency partners encountered 17 people outside; two individuals accepted assistance.
These spaces provide safe and welcoming places for rest, meals and to come indoors from the cold. Clients admitted into a temporary contingency space will be offered a permanent shelter space as soon as one becomes available, at which point they will have access to a housing worker and other wrap-around supports, such as mental and physical health care.
As with the COVID-19 response implemented to date, the City’s winter services plan evolves and adapts to respond to need, as required. Since the beginning of the winter season, the City’s shelter system has adapted, while continuing to place high priority on stringent COVID-19 protocols. When announced in October 2021, the winter services plan created 200 new spaces. Since that time, the number of additional spaces has grown to approximately 500.
The City’s Warming Centres are an integral component of the winter services plan. Warming Centres are generally activated when an Extreme Cold Weather Alert (ECWA) is issued by Toronto Public Health. There may also be instances when the City decides to open Warming Centres independent of an ECWA, out of an abundance of caution due to colder nighttime temperatures and forecasted wind chill values. Warming Centres have been open and accessible every day since January 7 and remain open today. This winter, the City has increased Warming Centre capacity from approximately 150 to 165.
The City’s shelter system is adaptable, and in response to extreme cold weather events, staff work to create capacity, in addition to spaces created by the winter services plan. The health impacts of prolonged exposure to extreme cold temperatures are significant and the risks too great. Temporary contingency spaces made available in the system at such times help make sure no one is left out in the cold.
Throughout the winter, the City’s Streets to Homes outreach teams hand out blankets, sleeping bags and warm winter clothing. During extreme cold weather, Streets to Homes dispatches additional 24/7 teams to connect with people living outside and strongly encourages them to come indoors.
The sector faces significant challenges right now. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, and the critical lack of supportive and affordable housing all contribute to many people facing significant hardships and placing them in need of emergency shelter and support. City staff, working closely with our community partners, have taken comprehensive actions to continue to deliver services to protect people experiencing homelessness.
Throughout the pandemic, the City has prioritized the health and safety of people in shelters and outdoor settings and will continue to do so, especially in light of the Omicron variant. From employing physical distancing, to rigorous infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures, providing access to masks for clients and staff, the City continues to take a comprehensive approach to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the shelter system and those experiencing homelessness.
The best defense to maintaining a safe environment within shelters and the broader community is ensuring as many people as possible have received their first, second and third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Efforts to increase vaccine uptake in people experiencing homelessness are comprehensive and ongoing. Toronto Public Health (TPH) mobile vaccine clinics are held at shelters, 24-hour respite sites and 24-hour women’s drop-ins seven days a week. The City also continues to work with Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) to hold vaccination clinics onsite. During the month of February, there are 161 COVID-19 vaccination clinics scheduled to help ensure people experiencing homelessness get vaccinated. As of January 30, 76 per cent of those aged 12 and above currently staying in the shelter system have received their first dose, 66 per cent have received their second dose, and 21 per cent have received their third dose. Thirty-one per cent of those aged 5 to 11 have received their first dose.
While the City places high priority on ensuring that people experiencing homelessness can access temporary accommodation when they need it, the real solution is permanent housing options that are accessible and sustainable. The City’s 10-year housing plan, HousingTO 2020-2030, includes actions across the full housing spectrum – from homelessness to rental and ownership housing to long-term care for seniors. The plan calls for the approval of 40,000 new affordable rental homes including 18,000 new supportive homes by 2030. The City will continue to implement the Council-directed 24-Month COVID-19 Housing and Homelessness Response Plan to add 2,000 supportive homes by the end of 2022. Since early 2021, with support from the federal and provincial governments, the City has created over 550 new supportive housing opportunities, with more than 300 additional supportive homes expected to begin occupancy this winter.
More information about the 2021/2022 winter services plan is available on the City’s website.
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“The City continues its work to ensure that the city’s shelter system remains stable, responsive and equipped to deliver critical services to protect people experiencing homelessness. I want to sincerely thank all City staff and homelessness sector partners for their continued commitment, dedication and efforts as we all continue to work to protect the health and safety of our most vulnerable fellow citizens.”
– Mayor John Tory
“The City’s shelter program remains resilient and continues to operate every day even in the face increasing demand, providing critical services to more than 7,700 people thanks to the incredible dedication of our passionate staff, who continue to deliver services to ensure the stability of the system as they have throughout the pandemic to protect those experiencing homelessness.”
– Gord Tanner, General Manager (acting), Shelter, Support and Housing Administration
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