About the New Shelters

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According to the City of Toronto website,

"Under the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, the City is building new shelters across Toronto, with a focus on locations where there are current gaps in services.

Between 2024 and 2033, the City plans to develop up to 20 new purpose-built shelter sites, creating a total of approximately 1,600 shelter spaces. These new sites will:

• Be smaller (approximately 80 spaces for singles)
• Be thoughtfully designed to better meet the needs of Toronto’s diverse homeless population and support integration into the surrounding communities
• Help offset capacity as temporary shelter sites close
• Allow the shelter system to grow in areas with significant need, such as families, youth, Black-led and Indigenous focused spaces"

The City of Toronto has confirmed the sites of six new shelters across neighbourhoods in Toronto. These currently include:

• Birch Cliff (2535 Gerrard St. E.)
• Davenport (1615 Dufferin St.)
• Downsview (1220 Wilson Ave.)
• Eglinton West (2204-2212 Eglinton Ave. W.)
• New Toronto (66 Third St.)
• Willowdale (68 Sheppard Ave.)

The City of Toronto has declared homelessness an emergency. To ensure that resources are expedited in light of this emergency declaration, city staff have been delegated authority to approve and develop new locations for shelters.  

According to the City of Toronto website, "this delegation accelerates and depoliticizes the shelter development process, strengthening the City’s ability to secure properties in Toronto’s competitive real estate market. Additionally, it aligns with a human rights-based approach to housing and related services for vulnerable residents."

City staff select potential shelter sites on the following basis:

• That they meet applicable zoning and shelter by-law requirements
• That they be close to transit and resources
• That they meet minimum sizing requirements (sizing varies based on the program and on-site services to be offered, e.g, families versus single adults)

City staff also consider building condition, associated lease or purchasing costs, and the long-term potential for a site to be converted into supportive housing.

The six new shelter sites that have been confirmed are expected to open between 2027 and 2030.

According to the City of Toronto website,

"New sites will:

• be smaller, serving approximately 80 people
• 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, harm reduction and other 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
• include shared space that can be used by the community, wherever possible"

The city is not required to consult with residents on choosing new shelter sites. This is good — no neighbourhood resident has a right to deny anyone else's right to shelter.

However, the city does engage with residents surrounding a shelter on supporting and integrating the shelter into its neighbourhood.

Unfortunately, these engagement sessions often lead to people opposing the shelter and homeless people more generally.

This is why it's critical that people like you participate in these engagement sessions when they arise!

For information on upcoming community engagement sessions, you can view our calendar.

You can also subscribe for updates on new shelters by site:

• Birch Cliff: Visit https://www.research.net/r/2535gerrard
• Davenport: E-mail 1615dufferin@gmail.com
• Downsview : E-mail 1220wilsonave@gmail.com
• Eglinton West: Visit https://www.research.net/r/2204eglinton
• New Toronto: E-mail 66third@gmail.com
• Willowdale: E-mail 68sheppard@gmail.com

More information — including information around community consultations for each shelter site — are available on the City of Toronto website.