Emergency shelters in Toronto continue to operate at capacity and the head of city’s shelter system says he is concerned about the “escalating” crisis as officials try to prepare for increased demand during the winter season.
Gord Tanner, the general manager of shelter, support, and housing administration for the city, said Toronto is seeing “unprecedented pressure” on the shelter system due to an inflated cost of living, insufficient affordable housing supply, and an increase in the number of refugee claimants arriving in Toronto.
Tanner noted that there are currently about 9,000 people in the shelter system in addition to 1,700 who are in hotels and other programs supported by the Canadian Red Cross. About 40 per cent of shelter beds are currently occupied by refugee claimants, he said. “The increasing need for shelter shows no sign of slowing and it once again presenting significant challenges for the city as we prepare for this winter. But with that, the city is mobilizing its available resource to enhance emergency shelter space and outreach services.”
“I want to stress that our winter services plan may continue to evolve as we monitor demand at our warming centres and continue the search for appropriate locations to add capacity,” Tanner said. Tanner said one year ago, the city budgeted $660 million for emergency shelter in Toronto this year, a figure that has now grown to $741 million.
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