Item - 2018.CD26.5

The Community Development and Recreation Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the target of the creation of 18,000 new supportive housing units, 1,800 new units per year, over the next 10 years to help people transition out of the shelter system and into permanent housing.

2.  City Council recommend to the Provincial Government the use of the Homes for Good Program as the delivery mechanism for the implementation of the supportive housing target.

3.  City Council request the Provincial Government to confirm ongoing operating funding and increased capital funding that meets the demand for supportive housing beyond the current program commitments of the Homes for Good Program to March 2020.

4.  City Council request the Provincial Government to increase their contribution to the Homes for Good Program by $405 million and the Federal Government to provide matching $405 million funding (total $810 million) to meet the City of Toronto's capital and operating needs to meet the 18,000 unit supportive housing target.

5.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to include the financial impact of the supportive housing target in the 2019 infrastructure plan report to be submitted to the June 13, 2018 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting.

6.  City Council request the Provincial Government to provide a response to City Council's previous request to immediately re-introduce funding mechanisms to offset the cost of sudden and prolonged increases in demand for emergency shelter space in Toronto.

7.  City Council request the Provincial Government to review and raise its rates for shelter benefits for the Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program to accurately reflect the real cost of rent and living in the City of Toronto.

8.  City Council request the Provincial Government to convene a regional Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) homelessness Service Manager action group, to identify opportunities to enhance collaborative regional service planning and services for people experiencing homelessness.

9.  City Council request the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and the Local Health Integration Networks operating in Toronto to work with City staff, based on the current health service model pilots for shelter clients, to develop a clear minimum level of service and provide adequate funding for the model to be implemented system-wide, and request the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to report to the May 9, 2018 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting on the status of the request and the potential to implement health services in existing shelters in 2018.

10.  City Council request the Provincial Government and the Federal Government to work with the City on identifying additional surplus properties, including 354 George Street and the Moss Park Armoury, for emergency shelter, supportive and affordable housing uses, and direct the Director, Real Estate Services to report to the June 13, 2018 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting on the status of these discussions.

11.  City Council request the Federal Government to, at a minimum, double and make permanent the Homelessness Partnership Strategy funding, with a focus on allocating funding in a flexible manner to those municipalities experiencing the greatest increases in absolute homelessness. 

12.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to utilize the City's existing shelter standards as the basis for the development of the interim standards for 24-hour homeless programs that are not shelters, with an emphasis on ensuring health and safety of service users as the focus of the standards.

13.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to develop a communications plan for homeless service providers, drop-ins, service users and the public and make this information public on the City's website by April 30, 2018, with information on the following:

a. Interim standards for all 24-hour programs that are not a shelter with consideration for programs located in faith-based organizations.

b. The consultation process for developing permanent standards for 24-hour homeless programs.

c. The transition plan for any respite centre or warming centre spaces that must be relocated and a plan to notify all respite centre users if there are any changes to the services they are currently using.

14.  City Council direct the Deputy City Manager, Internal Corporate Services and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to review existing City of Toronto assets for the possible use of and/or conversion to supportive housing.

15.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to engage the Toronto Community Housing Corporation to assess opportunities for utilizing vacant units as supportive housing.

16.  City Council direct the City Manager to engage the Federal Government, Provincial Government, Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, Faith communities, and civic not-for-profit organizations to identify potential landholding that could be converted into supportive housing.

17.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration and the Director, Real Estate Services to report to the April 12, 2018 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting on the result of the request to the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) members to identify potential shelter spaces, including the list of proposed sites and status of review for each site, and including any sites that could potentially be used for smaller (under 50 beds), low-barrier shelters.

18.  City Council request the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to report to the June 13, 2018 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting on developing a Community Shelter Reference Group to facilitate community input and feedback.

19.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to develop a regular reporting framework to the Community Development and Recreation Committee and an Open Data framework with goals and benchmarks on the various pieces of the City's housing/homelessness/shelter strategy; such framework to be addressed in the report to be submitted to the June 13, 2018 Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting.

20.  City Council request the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in consultation with the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to review and report to the appropriate committee on the planning approval mechanisms and options that would allow the City to overcome challenges in building new supportive housing developments.

21.  City Council request the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to develop a business case for consideration through the Budget process for 2019, on an enhancement to the City's drop-in programs, with particular attention to the role that drop-ins play in eviction prevention, supporting social inclusion, health and well-being, and reducing experiences of homelessness; and that consideration for enhanced funding include: mental health and employment supports, and transportation supports.

The Community Development and Recreation Committee requested the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to:

1.  Provide an update to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on the information contained in Attachment 4 - "Shelter, Support and Housing Administration Homelessness and Housing First Solutions Operating Budget, 2009 to 2018", attached to the report (February 20, 2018) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to delineate Federal funds and Provincial funds.

2.  Consult with BOOST Child and Youth Advocacy Centre to identify strategic partnerships to engage youth and families in abusive household situations, and report back to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on potential City of Toronto resources which could assist BOOST in expanding its operation to achieve the objective of preventing homelessness among at-risk youth.

The following gave a presentation to the Committee on the New Homeless Services Model:

-  Director, Service System Planning and Integrity, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration
-  Director, Community Resources, Social Development, Finance and Administration
-  Madeleine Morgenstern, Senior Policy Advisor, Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network
-  Nello Del Rizzo, Senior Consultant, Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network

This report responds to direction from the City Council meeting of January 31, February 1 and 2 to provide an update on work underway to expand and improve services available to people experiencing homelessness, including the extension of winter respite services after April 15, as well as longer-term approaches to ending homelessness.

Demand for services to respond to the needs of people experiencing homelessness continues to rise, driven by increasingly scarce affordable housing, low-incomes and increases in precarious work, lack of supportive housing to meet the needs of vulnerable people with mental health and addictions issues, increasing numbers of refugee claimants, as well as Toronto's increasing overall population growth.

As a result of this increasing demand, the City has responded by adding more than 1400 shelter beds to the system, a 30 percent increase, as well as opening eight Winter Respite Service locations. The City of Toronto, in partnership with the provincial and federal governments, is taking action to ensure appropriate emergency shelter is available to people who require it.

In addition to expanding shelter system capacity, the City is working to change the way shelters operate with a new service model that includes housing-focused case management supports and increased access to health and other social services in collaboration with the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs). The 2019 Shelter Infrastructure Plan will be considered by Council later this spring, outlining plans for the continued expansion and improvement of Toronto’s shelter system, as well as a service plan for the 2018/19 winter.

Better understanding the distinct needs of specific populations and the flow of individuals and families through the system is key to helping build a flexible and responsive system. The City is committed to improving data collection and performance measurement systems to support evidence-informed practice and positive client outcomes through the 2018 Street Needs Assessment and enhancements to the Shelter Management Information System.

Emergency responses like shelters and respite services are critically important to fill the gap when people are in immediate housing crisis. However, the real solution to homelessness is to continue to build capacity in our prevention and housing stability services in order to move towards reducing and ending homelessness in the longer term.

In addition to focussing on emergency shelter solutions, supporting Torontonians experiencing homelessness to find secure, suitable, permanent housing and investing in solutions that prevent homelessness continue to be key priorities for the City, as set out in the City’s 10-year Housing Opportunities Toronto Action Plan 2010-2020.

City staff have started preparing for the next Housing Opportunities Toronto (HOT) Action Plan 2020-2030, which will guide the City's housing and homelessness initiatives over the next decade and will include specific targets for affordable, transitional and supportive housing needed. The updated HOT plan will be informed by market and demographic research and analysis, and will be developed based on extensive engagement with the other orders of government and key community partners and stakeholders. A directions report outlining the vision for HOT 2020-2030 will be brought forward to Council this spring.

The City is working closely with community partners and the provincial and federal governments to continue to expand the permanent shelter system, develop more preventative approaches, build more affordable and supportive housing and connect people with permanent housing opportunities.