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Housing and Homeless Services
Corner Drop-in
St. Stephen's Community House Corner Drop-in meets an urgent, immediate need in our community. In Toronto, more and more homeless people are out on the streets and need help to meet their basic needs, get into shelter and ultimately permanent housing. Policy changes governing rental housing and income support programs have also forced many people onto the streets through evictions.
St. Stephen's Community House provides vital services for socially isolated individuals and people living on the streets. On a daily basis, we can have over 200 members visit the Corner Drop-in to receive daytime shelter, nutritious hot meals, information and help in finding affordable housing, mental health supports, voluntary financial trusteeship, counselling on addictions as well as access to financial and primary health care services. Hundreds of homeless men and women each year find housing or enter addiction treatment programs through the Corner Drop-in.
The Corner Drop-in provides:
- Breakfast and lunch, six days a week
- Washrooms, shower, laundry, mail registry and telephone services
- Computer and printing access
- Support in finding and maintaining affordable housing
- Housing Placement and Eviction Prevention
- Voluntary financial trusteeship in our Harm Reduction Project
- Crisis counselling and linkages to mental health services
- Addiction and substance abuse counselling
- Support groups including relapse prevention groups
- Mental Health Case Management service
- Visiting health care services (e.g. community nurse, vaccination clinics), which now include a psychiatrist and a family doctor
- NEW: A 'Women's Only' weekly drop-in group
Thanks to the countless volunteers and landlords who participate in the program, our Corner Drop-in members are able to make a fresh start.
Need to apply for mental health supportive housing in Toronto now? Click here to find out how.
L. L. Odette Place, Supportive Housing Residence
Stable housing is essential to the well-being of homeless people facing mental health difficulties. The City of Toronto Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness called for hundreds of new units of supportive housing to be built to meet the needs of men and women now stuck in the shelter system or facing a revolving door of evictions due to their mental illness. Supportive housing provides safe, stable housing with affordable rent. It also provides one-to-one supports to help tenants stay healthy and maintain housing. Supports range from helping tenants to find a doctor or psychiatrist; to escorting them to community activities; to teaching them to plan and prepare their own meals; to helping them work towards finding a job or getting involved in volunteer work. Through the Corner Drop-in, St. Stephen's Community House has worked with hundreds of men who are in need of supportive housing and have experienced years of life on the streets.
In July 2002, L. L. Odette Place, a supportive housing residence, was opened. This residence provides a home to 13 adult males, who once struggled with chronic homelessness and mental illness. The newly renovated facility has 13 large single units with a modern kitchen/lounge, accessible bathrooms, a rooftop deck and laundry facilities. Residents receive counselling, connection to health care, referrals to other social services and community support. They also access the other services offered in the Augusta Centre. With a place to call home and supports, these men are enjoying a new sense of stability and dignity in their lives.
Toronto Community Addiction Team
The Toronto Community Addiction Team (TCAT), a new program in our Housing and Homeless Services, began in January of 2010. TCAT provides mobile case management services to people living with complex substance use issues who are frequent users of crisis medical services. TCAT provides integrated care to help our program participants achieve healthier outcomes through coordinating access to a range of community and physical and mental health services, thereby reducing dependency on emergency medical care. This program is a partnership led by St. Stephen’s Community House and St. Michael’s Hospital, including most of the Toronto-area hospitals with Emergency Departments and/or Withdrawal Management Services. TCAT provides mobile supports, addictions counselling, access to primary and psychiatric care, assistance with housing, and service coordination among health care providers in the hospital and community.
In Early 2012 TCAT opened a new counselling centre at 340 College Street. We are very excited at this opportunity to expand our services to vulnerable people in the Kensington Community. The new centre will be located on the ground floor, suite 108, by appointment only.
To find out more, download our fact sheet.
Our Housing and Homeless Services program is funded by Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network. View the contract here.
Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network and the Province of Ontario are not responsible for any content on this website.