The City of Toronto has unveiled an updated  2023/24 Winter Services Plan, outlining how it will support those experiencing homelessness during the winter months. 

The City had said in October that the plan would continue to evolve as staff monitored demand for Warming Centres and searched for appropriate locations to add capacity.

The Better Living Centre at Exhibition Place will be used as a 24-hour respite site, to remain open until early March 2024. Once fully operational, this space will have capacity for approximately 240 people, and the City notes many of the spaces are already accounted for.

In addition, Covenant House opened a new 24-hour winter respite program in November, providing 30 spaces for youth experiencing homelessness and will remain open until April 15, 2024.

The City is also expanding operating hours at drop-in programs this winter. Approximately 140 extra operating hours have been added at 10 City-funded drop-in locations throughout the city for the duration of the winter season.

The updates are in addition to the elements of the plan previously announced, including adding 180 spaces to the shelter system. Three Warming Centres will be activated when temperatures reach minus five degrees Celsius or colder. A fourth site will be available soon, for a total of 180 Warming Centre spaces

Additional street outreach teams will be deployed to encourage people to head indoors when temperatures reach minus 15 degrees Celsius.

As of Sunday, the City said it was supporting 11,181 people – 9,370 people in the shelter system and 1,811 people outside the shelter system in bridging hotels and programs supported by the Canadian Red Cross. Of these, 5,372 are refugee claimants – or 48 per cent of the total number of people being supported.

Toronto’s shelter system is the largest in Canada, providing more shelter beds per capita than any other Canadian city.