Homelessness- Emergency 24 Respite Care 2020-2021 + The Winter Plan

(City of Toronto 2020-2021 Winter plan for people experiencing Homelessness)

The following Information is consistent with the City of Toronto’s Website on Homelessness and Winter Plan for those Living Outdoors.

Here are a list of shelters and temporary Out of the Cold Warming Centers for overnight and Extreme Cold weather:

  1. 129 Peter St-
  2. 5800 Yonge St
  3. Exhibition Place 100 Princes Blvd
  4. The CNE Better Living Center 195 Princes Blvd
  5. Scarborough Civic Center 150 Borough Dr.

On any given night more than 8000 people Experience homelessness in the city of Toronto

This number is largely made of of those living in:

  1. Shelters
  2. On the streets
  3. Incarceration – will end up homeless
  4. Hotel and Temporary Hostel arrangements

 

On October 6, the City announced details of its 2020-21 winter service plan to ensure safe and welcoming places for people experiencing homelessness during the coming winter weather.

The winter plan is part of the City’s Interim Shelter Recovery and Infrastructure Implementation Plan, which specifies measures needed over the next 12 months to protect homeless clients and to continue to provide shelter services safely while COVID-19 is a concern.

The City of Toronto and its partners operate 75 base shelters and 24-hour respite sites. As part of the City’s response to COVID-19, the City has also opened more than 40 temporary facilities to achieve physical distancing in the shelter system and provide spaces for people to more indoors from encampments, 25 of which are currently operating.

The winter plan will provide approximately 560 additional spaces through a combination of shelter and 24-hour respite beds, hotel rooms and supporting housing units. The City will also continue to offer 200 beds that remain open from last year’s winter plan, and 221 spaces in existing 24-hour respite sites that remain open year-round.

Additional space will be activated at Warming Centres during Extreme Cold Weather Alerts (ECWA). The City’s Streets to Homes Program will also provide enhanced street outreach response to help support and encourage those living outside to come indoors

Services will be available until April 15, 2021.

 

Shelter Spaces and Out of the Cold –  Note that the Out- of the Cold Program has been suspended temporarily due to Covid-19 protocols -here are the current places open to assist:

New shelter and respite site spaces will be made available through:

  • 100 spaces at the CNE, Better Living Centre
  • 150 beds in hotel programs
  • 90 hotel beds operated by Dixon Hall as a 24/7 replacement for the Out of the Cold program (OOTC). OOTC previously offered meals and shelter to homeless individuals at community locations. Due to the program model, rotation of locations each night and use of volunteers, it is not feasible to operate during the pandemic within Ministry of Health guidelines for congregate settings. The new model will operate from a consistent service location, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Currrent 24 Respite Sites Now open for the Winter Plan due to Covid-19 changes

Existing 24-Hour Respite Sites

The City will continue to provide spaces at 24-hour respite sites that operate year-round. The sites are operating at reduced capacities to meet physical distancing guidelines and are located at:

  • 25 Augusta Ave., operated by St. Felix Centre, 20 spaces
  • 705 Progress Ave., Unit 29, operated by Warden Woods, 43 spaces
  • 21 Park Rd., operated by Margaret’s, 25 spaces
  • 69 Fraser Ave. (part of the parking lot behind Lamport Stadium), operated by St. Felix, 45 spaces
  • 351 Lake Shore Blvd. E., operated by Dixon Hall, 43 spaces
  • 1A Strachan Ave., operated by Fred Victor, 45 spaces

Respite sites are guided by Toronto’s 24-Hour Respite Standards and offer single adults and couples, along with their pets, a place to rest, have a meal and access service referrals. Respite sites prioritize ease of access to safe indoor space, especially to those who are vulnerable and who may not otherwise access shelters.

Shelter programs are guided by Toronto’s Shelter Standards and focus on getting people connected to the services they need to access permanent housing in the community.

Warming Centres during Extreme Cold Weather Alerts

In addition to core winter services, the City will activate four Warming Centres if an Extreme Cold Weather Alert (ECWA) is issued by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health based on information from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The Warming Centres will be in different areas of the city and will offer 150 spaces in total. This is the first year that the City has offered more than one Warming Centre, which will increase access to these services across Toronto.

Info Regarding Encampments and Tents Set-Ups in Parks

The City of Toronto has a comprehensive approach to providing outreach to those living outdoors and in encampments, with staff across multiple divisions attend encampment sites as required.

Outreach workers are familiar with encampments and the individuals in them conducting wellness checks and offering:

  • immediate access to shelter or other transitional opportunities
  • help with accessing income and health care
  • support to develop a case plan to move into housing.

As more spaces open, clients are provided options to move inside and are supported to do so with their belongings. Abandoned belongings are then cleared and encampments sites are cleaned.

Since April, the City has successfully referred close to 890 individuals to safe spaces and cleared more than 60 encampments. The City’s Streets to Homes team and our partner agencies have secured permanent housing for at least 348 individuals who were sleeping outside.

Encampment Info Regarding Use of Parks:

Since the pandemic began, the City has:

  • referred more than 1,200 individuals living outside to safer, inside spaces and cleared close to 70 encampments between May and December 2020
  • referred more than 2,800 people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing through a combination of housing allowances and rent-geared-to-income units. This represents a 50 per cent increase over the same period in 2019. Over the past 10 years, the City has: helped 6,000 individuals sleeping outside secure permanent housing and 80 percent remain housed after one year.

Toronto’s Response to Encampments on City Owned Property

The City of Toronto has a human rights approach to helping individuals in encampments that focuses on:

  • the safety of those living in encampments
  • working with partners to provide essential supports, focusing on health and wellbeing
  • building trusting relationships to support the transition to indoor settings
  • providing access to safer, indoor spaces including shelter and housing

Encampments are only cleared once everyone has been offered safer, inside space, and notice has been provided with time to go through belongings.

Addressing homelessness, including encampments, is a complex social issue. It requires all levels of government, community agencies and other stakeholders to work together to provide public, social and health-related supports.