Op-Ed: Toronto's homeless population decreases, new shelter to open Special

Toronto - Toronto's street homeless population is now estimated to be in the 5,000 range according to the Street Needs Assessment, 2009. The number of homeless relying on shelters is a little over 5,000.

With only 3,800 shelter beds in Toronto the city cannot provide all the beds needed. According to a promo video by the City of Toronto homelessness is being ended one person at a time. The Streets to Home model is being used by other cities in North America. The program helps the homeless get housing regardless of their addiction status. The program is a success but what about the millions spent building a new homeless shelter in Toronto that has yet to be opened? The new shelter at 129 Peter Street will increase the number of beds by 40. When it opens on August 16, as long as contractors haven't changed the date the city will have paid $11.5 million for the building. The building will also include many offices that are currently located on Adelaide Street and Elizabeth Street. The initial cost to the city was to be $5.5 million dollars. Last December the opening date of the Assessment Referral Centre and Homeless Shelter was set for March 2010. In May Pat Anderson, Manager, Partnership Development & Support with the city of Toronto, said that construction was still ongoing. At the time she stated: "The shelter is not finished yet. Construction crews are on site, once they have finished we will still have to move in furniture and equipment before the shelter opens." The Globe and Mail quoted Phil Brown, the general manager of Toronto's shelter, support and housing administration a month ago saying that the shelter was slated to be opened as early as "next week." “It's going to provide an unprecedented service to some very vulnerable homeless folks,” Phil Brown said. In May Mayoral Candidate Rocco Rossi said of the shelter: "I want to make a point about our spendthrift City Council and why it’s so important Torontonians get the change they’re demanding this fall. Behind me is the still unfinished Peter St. Shelter for the homeless. Initial costs have doubled from five to ten million dollars. At 40 beds, the final cost will be $250,000 per bed when it opens later this year, about the price of a condo at Yonge and Bloor. By contrast, Habitat for Humanity can house an entire family for $130,000. So I say to Torontonians: Who can you trust with your hard-earned tax dollars?" Speaking to Ms. Anderson again today I asked in light of the latest numbers if a new shelter is needed in Toronto. "The shelter is still very much needed," she said. "The Streets to Home program has helped Toronto's homeless but the Peter Street location is more than just a homeless shelter." Anderson acknowledged that the new shelter will not be a significant increase in beds for the city. The average wait time for social housing for the 61,499 people on the list is five to ten years. 4,256 households were housed in 2009. Becoming homeless is a real issue in Toronto. While street homelessness has decreased the number of families turning to shelters have increased slightly. The city has used motels to meet the demand on some nights when there aren't enough beds for families. With average monthly market rent rates for a two-bedroom apartment hovering at $1,351 in Toronto those who are most at risk have little help. Renting a one bedroom basement apartment runs in the $650 to $800 range. The monthly amount for two parents and one child receiving Ontario Works is $1,058. Of that amount $620 is the allowance the family has for shelter. The math does not add up. What will the final tally be when this shelter opens? Could that money have been managed in a better way? After three years of waiting for the shelter to be completed how many people could have been able to have affordable housing? Those questions have no true answers but will need to be posed before Toronto builds another shelter.