Toronto to provide update on supports for those experiencing homelessness this winter amid soaring shelter demands
![homeless Toronto A homeless person is seen in downtown Toronto, on Wednesday, January 3, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2018/4/12/homeless-toronto-1-3881980-1634054224958.jpg)
The city will be providing details this morning about its plan to support people experiencing homelessness during the upcoming winter season as demand for shelter space in Toronto continues to hit crisis levels.
Gord Tanner, the general manager of shelter, support, and housing administration for the City of Toronto, will be speaking to reporters about the city’s plan at a news conference at city hall. He will be joined by Alejandra Bravo, the chair of the economic development committee.
The update, which will outline measures the city plans to take to make sure people experiencing homelessness have support during the frigid winter months, comes as the city grapples with record demand for shelter spaces.
Throughout the summer, refugees and asylum seekers have lined up outside Toronto’s central shelter intake facility downtown on Peter Street hoping to get a spot at one of the city’s packed shelters.
Local churches and community organizations have stepped up to house those who are unable to secure a shelter spot.
The city says the unprecedented demand for shelter space means that shelters are constantly running at capacity.
As of Oct. 1, the city said there were 3,682 refugees and asylum claimants recorded in Toronto’s shelter system, up from 2,900 in May.
“We are now housing close to 5,000 refugees and we have no homes for them,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said earlier this month.
The news conference is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6951886.1720127955!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
ANALYSIS Why are Trudeau and Singh avoiding Stampede this year?
This year, only Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will be saddling up for the event, while both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh will stay away.
'Dead to me': Alberta transgender teen takes action after being deadnamed in yearbook
He was graduating from high school this summer, ready for life's next chapter, when he opened his yearbook to see that he and other transgender students at Foothills Composite High School in Okotoks, Alta., had been deadnamed.
Saskatoon driver accused of causing a fatal crash did not have a driver’s licence, police say
Saskatoon police say the man accused of causing a crash that killed one woman and injured three others last month, did not have a valid driver’s license.
Juror dismissed for falling asleep during testimony at Coutts murder-conspiracy trial
One of the jurors hearing evidence in the murder-conspiracy trial surrounding the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., has been dismissed for falling asleep in the courtroom.
Canada's Davies scores shootout penalty to bury World Cup demons
Canada captain Alphonso Davies banished memories of his penalty miss at the 2022 World Cup by confidently converting a spot-kick in a shootout victory over Venezuela in the Copa America quarter-finals on Friday.
Everything Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said publicly about Donald Trump
While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a measured tone when talking about Donald Trump during his first presidency, the Canadian leader has been a little more direct since. As we head closer to a U.S. election this fall, CTVNews.ca takes a look at everything Trudeau has said publicly about the presumptive Republican nominee.
N.B. man denied flight due to tear in passport’s seam
What seemed to be a minor passport issue turned into a major problem for a New Brunswick man who was denied a boarding pass from Air Canada.
More records expected to shatter as long-running blanket of heat threatens 130 million in U.S.
Roughly 130 million people were under threat Saturday and into next week from a long-running heat wave that already has broken records with dangerously high temperatures — and is expected to shatter more from East Coast to West Coast, forecasters said.
Salvador's president threatens to use gang-crackdown style tactics against price gougers
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, famous for his heavy-handed crackdown on street gangs, threatened to use similar tactics against price gougers.