In July 2025, St. Felix Centre, with support from the City of Toronto, opened a shelter at 629 Adelaide St. W. for people experiencing homelessness. This site is a relocation of services previously provided at 25 Augusta which was redeveloped into 31 units of rent-geared-to-income housing prioritized for women fleeing violence – Hope House.
Our city is in a housing crisis and there are over 15 000 Torontonians facing homelessness, with hundreds of people unable to access safe indoor space every night. It's plain to anyone walking down the street or through local parks that people are being left behind right now.
My enduring commitment is to work together with the operator, city staff, and community members to make sure this site is managed well and responsive to community concerns.
If you have any questions or concerns related to the shelter, please reach out to Nisa Yavas, St Felix's Senior Community Liaison, via email at [email protected] or phone at 647-557-2203.
On this page, you’ll find information about:
- Services provided at the site
- How the City of Toronto is working to address the housing crisis
- How the City decides where shelters are located
- What work has been done with the community
This page was most recently updated August 7, 2025.
Services provided at the site
The City and St Felix Centre opened as a 50-bed shelter for single adults of all genders, instead of the originally proposed 24-hour low barrier respite site.
The services available at the shelter are:
- A mandatory intake triage process and comprehensive case management and housing support for all guests, with a focus on helping them secure permanent housing as quickly as possible
- Indoor accommodations
- Meals prepared on-site by Working for Change
- Wraparound supports including primary healthcare services, mental health and crisis management, income/employment supports and assessments and referrals to other community services, as needed
- Pet supports for people accessing the program, including food and emergency veterinary care
- Recreation and programming, including an enclosed outdoor space with picnic tables
The site is staffed 24/7 by individuals who are trained in de-escalation, conflict resolution, crisis prevention, intervention and management, and harm reduction services and support.
Community Safety Teams have been working on site since March 2025, regularly conducting sweeps on surrounding streets for hazardous materials and checking in with people who might need support. A Community Liaison Committee has also been meeting since January.
St. Felix is a trusted long-term nonprofit partner with considerable experience in providing homelessness services to those in need. They also have a proven track record of meaningful engagement with local communities in the vicinity of their sites. If you have concerns that could be related to the shelter, please reach out to Nisa Yavas, St. Felix’s Senior Community Liaison via email at [email protected] or phone at 647-557-2203.
You can find out more about the shelter at the City's website.
What action is the City taking on the housing crisis?
Addressing housing instability is a multi-faceted effort that involves protecting rental units, increasing the number of deeply affordable homes, providing rent support to prevent evictions, and expanding the number of shelter spaces to match the growing need. As pandemic reliefs come to an end, every level of government must step up and provide both emergency and long-term funding to address the housing crisis and ensure no one is left behind. Our collective end goal must be affordable and sustainable long-term housing for all and the elimination of the need for these respite sites.
The City's position and that of many shelters and respite sites is that the safest spaces are indoor spaces. Our current shelter system is often near or at full capacity. Some residents have been turned away or felt unsafe in these spaces, leaving many to feel that living outdoors is their best option. The City's centralized waitlist for subsidized housing for long-term rent-geared to income housing is unfortunately substantial and we know more must be done in the short-term to provide support.
I am actively working with my council colleagues and Mayor Chow to meet the housing crisis with the urgency it requires and to utilize all tools at the City’s disposal. Recent actions we have taken include:
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Moving to build 65,000 new affordable homes, including two priority sites in Spadina-Fort York
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Raising the Vacant Home Tax from 1% to 3%, with increased funding to supplement the Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program, that preserves rental housing in Toronto
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Redefining "affordable rental housing" and "affordable home ownership" to be based on income in the City’s 2020-2030 action plan
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Exploring the potential for office conversions to affordable housing, and options for building affordable housing on City owned land, including parking lots, TTC stations, and other underused lands
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Investing in community services and supports that prevent evictions and support people to stay in their communities
There are also a number of policy choices from the provincial government that have significantly contributed to the current housing crisis, byproducts of which are an influx of homelessness and people living outdoors. These choices include wholly insufficient income supports for those living on Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) that are creating conditions for poverty and economic instability. The current provincial minimum wage is also unlivable in the City of Toronto. I share the deep frustrations on these issues and encourage residents to share their feedback with the provincial Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services and Minister of Labour.
How does the City decide where sites go?
City Councillors don't get to decide where shelter services are located. Our professional City staff are tasked with ensuring these essential services get located where there is an existing need in the local population. As a relocation, spaces in the area of the previous program were prioritized.
To be considered as a potential new shelter service, sites must meet applicable zoning and shelter by-law requirements, be close to transit and resources, be in a state of good repair, and meet minimum sizing requirements. Sizing requirements vary based on the type of service to be offered (e.g. shelter, 24-hour respite site, or warming centre).
We know that there is significant unmet need for shelter support, in our downtown communities and across the City. People experiencing homelessness should be able to access shelter in their communities, close to family, friends, and systems of support in every part of our city. The City is advancing a Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy which will develop new shelter sites across the city.
What work has been done with the community?
Residents can view a recording of the Public Information meeting, view the meeting presentation, and a report outlining public engagement on the site.
The City and St Felix Centre have made several changes to continue to support people experiencing homelessness and address feedback received regarding 629 Adelaide St W. The site has opened as a 50-bed shelter for single adults of all genders, instead of the originally proposed 24-hour low barrier respite site. A variety of factors influenced the change to the service model, including community feedback, available budget, and a further assessment of the layout and square footage of the space.
In spring 2024, local neighbourhood walks were held with key community stakeholders including local residents, local service providers and Toronto Police Neighbourhood officers. An update with details of what has been done to address community feedback from the walk in 2024 is posted online here.
A Community Liaison Committee is operating and meeting regularly. If you have any questions or concerns you can reach out to Nisa Yavas, St. Felix’s Senior Community Liaison, [email protected] or 647-557-2203.
I have heard and share residents’ concerns and priorities around a safe, beautiful, and accessible neighbourhood that works for all of us. I am committed to working with you to improve our community, together. I've worked with local residents, to secure:
- A new winterized, all-season washroom at Stanley Park North (design work beginning this year with planned opening in 2026)
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Traffic calming measures, including speed humps on:
- Wellington Street between Strachan and Tecumseth
- Richmond Street between Niagara and Tecumseth
- Niagara Street between King and Adelaide
- Speed limit reductions on Adelaide Street West (from Shaw to Bathurst)
- Pursuing installation of all-way stop control at Adelaide St W and Portugal Square
- Ongoing feasibility assessment of additional crossing guard capacity in the neighbourhood of Niagara Public School
- Commitments to public art and additional community consultation for the forthcoming development at 152-164 Bathurst and 623-627 Richmond St W development
Ongoing community conversations have been taking place with neighbours around the site. These efforts are only the beginning. If you have other ideas to improve the neighbourhood, please let us know.