Item - 2020.EC16.1

City Council considered Items EC16.1 and GL16.6 together.

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Federal and Provincial Governments to:

a.  work with the City of Toronto prior to re-opening the border to develop a coordinated approach to new refugee claimant arrivals; and

b.  continue to provide temporary accommodation for refugee claimant arrivals at the border or place of entry until they have a permanent housing plan in place.

2.  City Council reiterate its request to the Federal and Provincial Governments to develop a regional response, in advance of the border reopening, to place new refugee claimant arrivals in interim housing where there is capacity.

3.  City Council request the Federal and Provincial Governments to recognize that permanent solutions to ending chronic homelessness are not possible without increased, long-term funding commitments and to provide ongoing, long-term funding for the operating funding needed to meet the City's supportive housing targets of 1,800 new supportive housing units every year for 10 years, as well as the recently-approved 24-month plan to create 1,000 new permanent modular homes, 1,000 new homes through acquisitions, renovations, and "shovel-ready" projects, and 1,000 additional new portable and flexible Canada-Ontario Housing Benefits to help households secure housing available for rent in Toronto and across the region.

4.  City Council request the Provincial Government to ensure that appropriate primary health care, harm reduction, overdose prevention, and mental health services are available to support individuals who are homeless during the pandemic and beyond and to provide the resources required to implement the shelter health services framework developed in partnership with the City of Toronto in 2018 in order to provide a coordinated and consistent approach to health services across the shelter system.

5.  City Council request the Provincial Government to provide ongoing and sustainable funding for the mental health case management and harm reduction supports needed to support individuals experiencing homelessness with complex needs, which the City of Toronto is providing on an interim basis at some temporary response shelter locations to meet immediate needs.

6.  City Council request the Provincial Government to end the practice of discharging individuals directly from provincial health and corrections facilities into homelessness and ensure that all individuals have a housing plan in place upon release and to work with municipalities to coordinate discharge plans to address housing and community safety in advance of release.

7.  City Council urge the Ontario Ministry of Health and the relevant Local Health Integration Networks to provide the necessary resources and supports for proactive, regular, and accessible mobile COVID-19 testing in shelter and respite settings.

8.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to receive funding and enter into new or amend existing agreements, subject to the approval of Shelter, Support and Housing Administration's 2021 Operating Budget, to continue to provide the City of Toronto's response for the homelessness service system as outlined in the implementation plan in Attachment 1 to the report (September 28, 2020) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration.

9.  City Council approve the 2021 Shelter Infrastructure Plan in Attachment 2 to the report (September 28, 2020) from the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, and authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to enter into new or amend existing agreements, as required, to open and operate shelters outlined in the 2021 Shelter Infrastructure Plan.

10.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to enter into new or amend existing agreements, as required, to maintain or add required respite spaces and shelter beds and respond to urgent or unanticipated needs to relocate shelters or 24-hour respite sites and 24-hour drop-ins.

11.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to continue to deliver an enhanced outreach strategy that focusses on ensuring the safety of those in encampments, increasing opportunities for permanent housing and access to safe indoor spaces, providing essential supports, and that "Streets to Homes" continue to work with interdivisional and community partners on the City's comprehensive approach to encampments using both human rights and public health approaches grounded in evidence-based practices that promote client and community safety.

12.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, to develop plans to rapidly scale up the permanent housing and shelter capacity response for the 2020-2021 winter season, if required for safe physical distancing to accommodate unanticipated demand on the shelter and housing system during the pandemic.

13.  City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, in partnership with Corporate Real Estate Services and the Housing Secretariat, to conduct a portfolio review of the existing shelter system to identify existing shelter locations suitable for conversion to supportive housing and provide authority, subject to the approval of Shelter, Support and Housing Administration's 2021 Operating Budget, to use existing shelter operating funding for housing supports at those sites.

14.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to convert existing and planned funding through the 1,000 beds initiative to create supportive housing units and report to the Planning and Housing Committee with additional details on a plan to activate and operate affordable and supportive rental housing at these sites, including any requests for Open Door incentives to support the development of the sites.

15.  City Council recognize the importance of preventing people from becoming homeless and request the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, and the Executive Director, Housing Secretariat, to accelerate ongoing work toward the expansion of the Toronto Rent Bank Program and the Eviction Prevention in the Community Program and bring recommendations to City Council as soon as possible.

The General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration gave a presentation on Interim Shelter Recovery and Infrastructure Implementation Plan.

The purpose of this staff report is to bring forward an implementation action plan for the City's COVID-19 response for homelessness services for the next 12 months, as part of critical second wave planning efforts to ensure the shelter system is positioned to respond effectively if there is a resurgence of COVID-19 this fall. The shelter recovery strategy supports the City's broader COVID-19 resurgence plan, which includes supporting vulnerable populations as one of five key priority areas for ensuring preparedness for future resurgences of COVID-19.

The report also provides information on Shelter, Support and Housing Administration's 2021 Shelter Infrastructure Plan. This includes a progress update on Council's direction to add 1,000 new permanent shelter beds and updates on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on planned shelters and how current investments can be leveraged to support recommendations of the Task Force.

The implementation plan is based on learning and experience from the first six months of our pandemic response within the shelter system, and the advice of the Interim Shelter Recovery Task Force convened in partnership with the United Way. During the first wave of COVID-19, system partners have been learning and working together at an accelerated rate to address urgent need. This experience has highlighted that our continued success in effectively responding to COVID-19, and protecting vulnerable individuals in our community, is dependent on the collaboration across the homelessness service sector, strong partnership with the health sector and enhanced regional collaboration.

Through the experience of the past 6 months, it has become clear that the solutions to homelessness and the spread of COVID-19 are one and the same. Safe and adequate housing is the best defense against spread of the virus. It has also become clear that while COVID-19 has affected everyone, it has had a greater impact on those in our community who face greater health inequities, including people experiencing homelessness and housing instability, women experiencing domestic violence, members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) individuals. Going forward, our recovery strategy needs to consider these social determinates of health and include distinct approaches to confronting systemic barriers and discrimination that increases both the risks of homelessness and the risks to the virus.