The final complete report will be published in the fall 2021
Photo: Screenshot of a video message of thanks from John Tory to the 2021 SNA participants (Youtube)
Starting on April 19, the City of Toronto will be conducting Toronto’s fifth “Street Needs Assessment” (SNA). The SNA is a city-wide, point-in-time count and survey of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto, led by Shelter, Support and Housing Administration (SSHA), in collaboration with community partners in the homelessness sector.
SSHA wants to hear from more than 3,000 people experiencing homelessness and will compare results to previous years while engaging with key stakeholders.
The city carried out “Street Needs Assessment” in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2018. The SNA scheduled for spring 2020 had to be postponed, due to the city’s response to combat COVID-19.
The approach for the 2021 SNA follows the recommended methodology prescribed by the federal and provincial governments and was modified to ensure all public health measures and guidelines can be followed and the project can be delivered safely for everyone involved. Toronto Public Health and the City’s Occupational Health and Safety section were consulted on the planning and implementation of this year’s SNA.
The initiative will be led by staff from City-funded shelters and outreach agencies, as well as staff in provincially administered sites. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers were not recruited for this year’s SNA. In addition, all training was provided online rather than in person and surveys will be administered electronically.
In a press release, Toronto Mayor John Tory underlines that SNA 2021 “will provide essential data needed to understand the impact of the pandemic on this vulnerable population, as well as helping to understand the broader needs and barriers to services for people living in homelessness in Toronto”.
Deputy Mayor and Councillor Michael Thompson, Chair of the Economic Development Committee, recognizes that this has been “a very difficult time for people experiencing homelessness and for those working to address this daunting challenge”. For this reason, it commends the City and its partners for playing a critical role in Toronto’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic by helping to ensure that the most vulnerable people are cared for during a period of unprecedented need.
The General Manager of Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, Mary-Anne Bedard, said that previous Streets Needs Assessment results “have helped us improve program and service delivery, such as the development of an Indigenous funding stream with a 20 per cent funding allocation, the creation of an LGBTQ2S youth shelter and increased resources for shelter programming for seniors”.
The Street Needs Assessment includes people staying outdoors and in encampments, in City-administered shelters and shelter hotels (including COVID-19 response sites and the isolation/recovery site), 24-hour respite sites (including 24-hour women’s drop-ins and winter services in operation), as well as provincially administered Violence Against Women shelters, and health and treatment and correctional facilities.
The City aims to release the full report with count and survey results in September 2021. ■
