On Tuesday, April 30, Scientific Associate Dr. Nick Kerman presented to a Toronto City Council meeting on economic and community development The Shelter Safety Study: An examination of violence and service restriction in Toronto’s shelter system, a CAMH study commissioned by the City and its partners to assess safety in Toronto’s shelter system, with a focus on violence and service restrictions which prevent people from using certain shelters for a set period of time after an infraction of some kind. The report is the outcome of two years of comprehensive study and analysis, which included examining shelter data between 2011 and 2021, a literature review, and original data collection that included touchpoints with shelter staff and people experiencing homelessness.
Study findings observed a rate of incidents in the shelter system similar to issues experienced in other service settings, underscoring the far-reaching impacts of the broader mental health crisis. It also provides 22 recommendations to the City to address a number of key needs related to violence, safety, and service restrictions in the shelter system, including the creation of low barrier supports for people experiencing homelessness who use substances.
“Our research showed that, like many health and social service settings, violence and other critical incidents have risen in the shelter system over the past decade, exacerbated further by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Kerman. “Structural inequalities and growing crises, including the lack of affordable housing, the overdose crisis, and an insufficient supply of mental health services to meet increasing demand, have downstream effects on safety in shelters for people experiencing homelessness and staff.”
Specifically, the study found that violence and service restrictions are serious issues in Toronto’s shelter system. These problems interact with other critical social issues, including the rise in unsheltered homelessness, the affordable housing crisis, a worsening toxic drug supply, and an insufficient supply of mental health services and housing-based supports. The study also found that a small group of service users accounts for a sizeable number of both critical incidents and service restrictions in the shelter system.
The study was first commissioned in January 2021 at a time when the City was observing an increase in challenging safety concerns, including violent incidents being reported across the shelter system. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the rate of critical incidents, as does crowded shelters, the winter season and limited privacy.
“Our health and social support systems have reached a breaking point,” said Dr. David Gratzer, CAMH psychiatrist and co-chief of the General Adult Psychiatry and Health Systems Division. “We are experiencing an increase in demand for emergency services across the board related to psychosis and methamphetamine use, which absolutely will affect the conditions within City shelters. It is imperative that we take a multi-pronged approach to tackle this issue – addressing not only the immediate needs, but also the causes. CAMH continues to be committed to working with all partners at all levels and across the City to respond to homelessness, increase access to care, and address substance use and addictions.”
CAMH is grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with the City of Toronto to improve safety within the shelter system and will work closely with the City as they implement the recommendations presented in the study.
Dr. Kerman added: “We now have a strong understanding of the safety-related issues that are occurring in the Toronto shelter system. To our knowledge, no other shelter system in Canada or the United States has such a robust evidence base on this important issue. The recommendations offer a roadmap for moving forward and position Toronto to be a potential leader in improving safety in shelters.