Item - 2023.EC7.7

City Council considered Items EC7.7, EC7.8, and EX9.19 together.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS) in Attachment 1 to the report (October 10, 2023) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and the Chief Procurement Officer.

2. City Council direct the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Chief Building Official, to establish a working group to develop a detailed real estate implementation plan for the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, including acquisition, leasing, construction and procurement strategies, as well as specific plans to stabilize the existing temporary lease and contract sites expiring in the near term, and report back to Council in the first quarter of 2024 on the plan.

3. City Council approve the proposed Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy 10-Year Plan in Attachment 2 to the report (October 10, 2023) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and the Chief Procurement Officer, and provide authority to the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to enter new, or amend existing agreements, as required, to open and operate new shelters and related homelessness services required in alignment with the recommendations in the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

4. City Council request the Mayor to consider the implementation of the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy in proposing the 2024 Budget for Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, and the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration.

5. City Council approve the 2024 Shelter Infrastructure Plan in Attachment 3 to the report (October 10, 2023) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and the Chief Procurement Officer, and provide authority to the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to enter new, or amend existing agreements, as required, to open and operate shelters outlined in the 2024 Shelter Infrastructure Plan on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

6. City Council authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to enter into new or amend existing agreements, other than leases or other property transaction documents for which delegated authority has been granted to Corporate Real Estate Management, to maintain or add required respite spaces and shelter beds and respond to urgent or unanticipated needs to add capacity or relocate shelters, 24-hour respite sites and 24-hour drop-ins on an ongoing basis, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

7. City Council authorize the Chief Procurement Officer to make awards upon the recommendation of the division head who initiated the award recommendation, for competitive and non-competitive procurements with a value exceeding $500,000 for which Bid Award Panel, Standing Committee or City Council approval would normally be required under City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, for the provision of construction, legal and/or professional services needed to complete the acquisition of suitable real estate interests and to carry out any necessary pre-development, pre-construction, construction, renovation and conversion of properties for the development of shelter sites to maintain the capacity requirements of the shelter system, and the development of shelter sites under the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, provided that:

a. the procurement is necessary to meet the goals and timelines of the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy;

b. the procurement is necessary to maintain the short-term capacity requirements of the shelter system;

c. the value of each award is within the funding limits under the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy;

d. the non-competitive or competitive procurement processes were completed in accordance with the City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 195, Purchasing, and associated policies and procedures;

e. there are no material risks as to the merits of making any awards;

f. the terms and conditions of any resulting agreements are acceptable to the division head recommending the award and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor; and

g. the term of each resulting agreement does not exceed five (5) years, or the projected term of capital funding under the Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy as approved by Council.

8. City Council request the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario to urgently increase investments in the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) program to meet demand and continue to support newcomers as well as Torontonians in need of housing.

9. City Council direct the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Chief Building Official to conduct an assessment of opportunities for property acquisition of currently leased sites, including motels that are part of the family and refugee shelter program, and to leverage sites for dual purpose of shelter and transitional to permanent housing provision.

10. City Council direct the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Chief Building Official, to explore leveraging City-owned land, including development sites, and to report back to Council in the first quarter of 2024 as part of the Encampment Review Report with an evaluation of opportunities to use City-owned sites for the use of permanent and temporary supportive homes, considering rapid construction techniques including modular and micro-shelter and housing options.

11. City Council request the Government of Ontario to commit to addressing staffing shortages and wage inequality in the shelter and housing sector, and to develop a comprehensive plan for workforce training, support and wage increases for shelter and housing workers.

12. City Council request the Government of Ontario to restore previous cost-share funding agreements for shelter operations.

13. City Council direct the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, CreateTO, the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to explore acquiring school board properties that have been declared surplus and to report back to the appropriate Committee on the findings by the second quarter of 2024.

The shelter system is full, and the Shelter, Support and Housing Administration's (SSHA) existing long-term capital budget is insufficient to meet the needs of the system and those who rely on it. Shelter demand continues to grow at unprecedented rates, and additional pressures on shelter capacity are expected due to the closure of temporary COVID-19 hotel sites as part of the Council approved COVID-19 Transition and Relocation Plan. There is currently no capital funding to replace this lost capacity. SSHA has made efforts to maximize capacity within the shelter system, however demand for shelter space continues to outpace capacity. In addition, SSHA has become increasingly reliant on temporary short-term leases and contracts to address demand and replace lost shelter capacity. This approach is costly and creates significant operational complications. To improve shelter system stability and recovery, maximize resources, and be more responsive to the needs of people experiencing homelessness, a strategic plan for shelter infrastructure in the City of Toronto is needed.

The purpose of this report is to outline a long-term, proactive approach to capital planning through the new Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy (HSCIS). Solutions mobilized during the pandemic, while necessary to support the health and safety of shelter clients and save lives, are becoming more costly and challenging options for the long-term sustainability of Toronto's shelter system. This report seeks approval for a plan to increase the total number of new long-term and permanent spaces in the base shelter system by 1,600 spaces between 2024 and 2033. The majority of these new spaces will be used to replace the temporary spaces expected to be lost through the planned COVID-19 hotel site closures. Funding will also go towards other projects needed to support recovery and stability in the shelter system, including moderately growing shelter capacity in areas where there is significant need (families, youth, and Indigenous peoples), and developing a flex space to help facilitate expected state of good repair (SOGR) projects that necessitate client relocation. SSHA is committed to working collaboratively with shelter operators and other community partners to implement the HSCIS.

This report also provides an update on SSHA's 2024 Shelter Infrastructure Plan as required by the Emergency Shelter Development Process (ESDP), approved by City Council in 2017. The infrastructure plan provides updates on progress on the Housing and Shelter Infrastructure Development project (HSID, formerly 1,000 beds), the George Street Revitalization (GSR) project, and recommends new projects as part of the HSCIS that will begin in 2024.

In addition, this report provides an update on the Council-approved phase two of the COVID-19 Shelter Transition and Relocation Plan, and outlines next steps for phase three. Moving forward, this work will be integrated with the HSCIS approach to transition from the emergency-focused COVID-19 response to a long-term, proactive approach to capital planning for Toronto’s shelter system.

The recommendations in this report will help address infrastructure challenges and create stability within the shelter system until adequate housing solutions are in place. The new spaces will also help address immediate pressures on the shelter system. However, in addition to these new shelter spaces, and in alignment with previously approved approaches, it's essential that the City also continue to invest in supportive housing to help people experiencing homelessness permanently leave the shelter system for housing. It is also critical that the City continue to work with the federal and provincial governments to establish sustainable and collaborative solutions for refugee claimants arriving in Toronto requiring access to shelter spaces. At a time when shelter demand is growing at unprecedented rates, investments in both housing and shelter projects are critical to helping people who are in immediate need of shelter, and helping more people transition out of the shelter system permanently into housing than are entering homelessness.