Homeless Shelters
Emergency shelter programs
The Region of Durham is legislated by the province of Ontario as a Service System Manager for Housing and Homelessness and designated by the federal government as the Community Entity.
Emergency shelter programs in Durham Region can help you if you don’t have any other place to stay. Funded homeless shelter programs are housing-focused, as part of Durham Region’s plan to address homelessness in our community.
For help with homelessness Support, you can connect:Email: Homelesshelp@Durham.ca
Phone: 905-668-4113 extension 5510
Toll free: 1-800-372-1102 extension 5510
311 - extension 5510
Shelter programs also act as Community Access Points to our By-Name List and Coordinated Access System.
Victims of gender-based violence or trafficking who need supports or emergency accommodation have more than one option:
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Call Victim Services at 905-721-4226 or Ontario Works in Whitby at 905-666-6239 during business hours.
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Visit the web page Victims of Domestic Violence to access a shelter to accommodate your needs and safety.
| Emergency shelter locations in Durham Region |
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Emergency shelter programs and winter warming locations are listed on the Shelters and Warming Centres page. Christian Faith Outreach Centre (CFOC) - Doors of Compassion 1635 Dundas Shelter 1635 Dundas St E., Whitby, Ontario L1N 2K9 Intake phone: 365-885-3173 Email: docintake@cfoc.ca Criteria: Co-ed, pet friendly Capacity: 45 beds 1635 Dundas site inquiries Security & Facility inquiries phone: 905-723-9149 Email: 1635security@durham.ca
CFOC - Doors of Compassion 158 Harwood Ave S., Ajax, Ontario L1S 2H6 Intake phone: 365-885-3173 Site phone: 905-619-1109 Email: info@cfoc.ca Criteria: Co-ed, no pets Capacity: 20 beds
CFOC - Doors of Compassion Address: Sales Pavilion at Ajax Plaza 27 Station St. (Southwest corner of Harwood Ave. S and Station St.) Intake phone: 365-885-3173 Site Phone: 289-923-2360 Email: info@cfoc.ca Criteria: Co-ed, dog friendly Capacity: 30 beds
Cornerstone 133 Simcoe Street South, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 4G8 Phone: 905-433-0254 or 1-844-433-0254 Fax: 905-433-2363 Email: GeneralInquiry@CornerstoneDurham.com Criteria: Single men, men with children, couples with children, seniors with extraordinary medical needs that cannot be accommodated in an emergency shelter, no pets Capacity: 40 beds
Durham Youth Services 82 Kings Crescent, Ajax, Ontario L1S 2M6 Phone: 905-239-9477 Email: contact@durhamyouth.com Criteria: Youth ages 16 to 24 years old, no pets Capacity: 10 beds
Muslim Welfare Home 425 Dundas St E., Whitby, Ontario L1N 2J2 Phone: 905-665-0424 or 1-866-666-1115 Email: muslimwelfarecentre@gmail.com Criteria: Single women, single women with children (boys under 12), no pets Capacity: 45 beds |
| Transportation help to access shelters |
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Housing outreach agencies can provide transportation help (bus tickets, etc.) for people who need help to get to a shelter program. Offices are only open during business hours, Monday to Friday. If you need help after hours, you can contact the shelter program for help. Ajax Community Development Council Durham 905-686-2661 Clarington John Howard Society 905-623-6814 Oshawa-Whitby John Howard Society 905-579-8482 Scugog-Uxbridge-Brock North House 705-432-8654 or 1-877-406-8723 |
| Durham Region Cooling Locations |
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2025 Community Hot Weather Response Locations for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness. If you see someone in need of assistance that is a life-threatening emergency, call 911. If they need assistance, but not an emergency response, call the Durham Regional Police Services Non-Emergency Line: 905-579-1520. Links to local municipal programs and places to help you stay cool can be found here: Extreme Heat and Humidity - Region of Durham Additional Cooling Locations can be found here: Shelters, Warming Centres and Cooling Locations - Region of Durham |
About homelessness in Durham Region
| Commitment to ending chronic homelessness in Durham Region | ||||||||||||||||
| The Regional Municipality of Durham is committed to ending chronic homelessness in our community. We are part of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness’s Built for Zero Canada program, which is a nation-wide effort that helps communities end chronic homelessness. Through the collection of real-time data, the Region and its service providers can better address homelessness in Durham and track our progress on homelessness reduction. | ||||||||||||||||
| What are housing-focused shelter programs? | ||||||||||||||||
| The Region developed a housing-focused approach for shelters in our community. This means that shelters are part of a process to help someone be housed and end their homelessness. In housing-focused shelters and outreach programs, all supports, services and strategies lead to housing, as opposed to just managing the symptoms of homelessness.
From the moment someone enters shelter, there are supports and a plan to ensure a safe and appropriate exit from shelter. Shelter programs are part of the process of helping people end their homelessness while helping to meet their basic needs. You can learn more about how housing-focused shelters in Durham Region operate through our Service Standards. OrgCode Consulting, Inc. and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) partnered to create guidelines for shelters to become housing-focused, as part of the Canadian Shelter Transformation Network. You can learn more about housing-focused shelters from the Canadian Shelter Transformation Network. Shelter programs focus on short-term stays and have a commitment to helping people exit the shelter to housing. From the moment you access shelter, staff will ask you about your housing plan and work with you to put that plan in action. Everyone in shelter needs to be working on their housing plan as much as possible. You can contact the shelter program directly to start the intake process. |
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| By-Name List and Co-ordinated Access System | ||||||||||||||||
| To help streamline access to housing and supports, the Region uses a By-Name List and Co-ordinated Access System. The By-Name List is a list of people currently experiencing homelessness, who provide consent to receive supports, and are engaged with the support system. The Co-ordinated Access System is used to connect people on the By-Name List with wrap-around supports and housing to help end their homelessness. People must consent to services before services can be provided. | ||||||||||||||||
| Street Outreach Strategy | ||||||||||||||||
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The Regional Street Outreach Program is an engagement team who assist unsheltered individuals with meeting basic needs and ensuring people are connected with Durham Regions By-Name List (BNL) and Coordinated Access System. The Street Outreach Team works on a 24/7 basis to ensure the needs of Durham’s most vulnerable population are met. These supports can include; collaboration with system service providers and system navigation, encampment wellness and relocation supports, referrals to community agencies, transportation support and wellness checks. |
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| Primary Care Outreach Program (PCOP) | ||||||||||||||||
| The Primary Care Outreach Program (PCOP) provides outreach services year-round to vulnerable populations in Durham Region. The PCOP is a partnership between Durham’s Health and Social Services departments and consists of an advanced care paramedic and social worker. The advanced care paramedic provides physical assessments, vital signs, wound care and blood sugar monitoring, while the social worker provides assessment and service navigation. Together, they coordinate referrals to community supports. | ||||||||||||||||
| How can I help? | ||||||||||||||||
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If you see a vulnerable resident in crisis, please dial 9-1-1 and emergency services will respond to the situation. Printable How Can I Help? guide.
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| Point-in-Time Count 2024 | ||||||||||||||||
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The Point-in-Time (PiT) Count is a national effort to measure and better understand homelessness. Communities organize their local PiT Count for one 24-hour period, to count and survey people experiencing homelessness within a geographical area. The goal of the PiT Count is to better understand the scope of national homelessness, and better understand and support those experiencing it. The Regional Municipality of Durham collaborated with community partners to conduct the 2024 PiT Count from November 18 to 19, 2024. The information gathered through the PiT will be used to understand the profile of those experiencing homelessness, inform evidence-based programming and service planning, and provide individuals experiencing homelessness the opportunity to vocalize what supports and services will help them the most. The PiT Count was conducted by outreach workers, shelter staff, and volunteers, inclusive of those with lived experience of homelessness. The PiT Count included individuals living:
A successful count enables our community to:
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| Durham Region Encampment Strategy | ||||||||||||||||
| Durham Region Encampment Strategy | ||||||||||||||||
| Research Reports & Policy Publications | ||||||||||||||||
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Tim Welch Consulting Inc. Report - November 24, 2023 Integrated Homelessness System Action Plan Policy Paper on Homelessness and Related Challenges - 2023 The Policy Paper on Homelessness and Related Challenges outlines the current challenges in Durham Region, community bright spots that are making a difference, and opportunities for advocacy to the federal and provincial government.
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