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The City of Toronto will expand the capacity of its shelter system this winter, but says more still needs to be done to address the increasing demands of the homelessness crisis.
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The city says it will be adding up to 530 temporary spaces to existing shelters, and activate 218 spaces in four warming centres across the city when temperatures reach -5 C or when the federal environment agency issues a winter weather warning.
It also expects to open 286 new social housing units throughout the winter season.
Since more than half of the people using shelters are refugee claimants, the city says it will create 200 new spaces in refugee houses, 100 of which will open this winter.
But the city says these seasonal plans can’t fully address the problem, as more than 200 people are turned away from shelters each night.
Coun. Alejandra Bravo said while the city is working on additional resources, “more needs to be done” to improve the capacity of a system that currently supports 12,200 people.
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“Toronto is in a housing crisis, and many people are struggling with rising rents, the cost of living, and the financialization of rental housing,” Bravo said in a statement Tuesday.
Gord Tanner, general manager of the city’s shelter and support services, said while predicting future shelter demand is complicated, thousands of people are struggling to afford rent and the city must do what it can to prevent them from becoming homeless.
“City of Toronto staff will continue to look for ways to improve how we help people experiencing homelessness, especially during the particularly challenging cold winter months,” he said in a statement.
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