1635 Dundas Street East: Meeting immediate and long-term needs of Durham residents without a home

Whitby, Ontario – Shelter is essential to a person’s overall well-being.

Since opening in March 2024, the low barrier shelter at 1635 Dundas Street East in Whitby has provided a safe and supportive environment to over 160 unique people. It’s been a crucial part of the journey, helping 20 people move into various housing types, participate in more intensive recovery and in some cases, reunite with family.

Operated by Christian Faith Outreach Centre (CFOC), patrons have access to a wide range of on-site supports that aim to help individuals get back on their feet including:

• Mental health and addictions supports;
• Harm reduction support services, housing and employment assistance;
• Medical support services;
• Arts programming; and
• Life skills programming

There is a waitlist of over 400 people for 1635 Dundas Street East showing just how much shelters like this are needed. This shelter has offered a foundation for stability, health, and an improved quality of life for those experiencing homelessness.

Here’s a summary of how 1635 Dundas Street East has provided safe shelter and supports to those in need:

• Durham Region’s Street Outreach Program received an overwhelming response of winter warming clothing donations from the public thanks to a community partnership with 94.9 The Rock. The Rock hosted Socktoberfest and Fill Santa’s Sack events in October and December 2024. Donations were equivalent to filling the bed of two pickup trucks, and have been distributed to shelters across Durham Region, including 1635 Dundas Street East.
• We Grow Food worked with patrons and staff of 1635 Dundas Street East to build garden boxes for the shelter. A variety of herbs and vegetables were planted in the building’s outdoor space.
• On February 1, 2025, the “How The Light Gets In” art exhibition will begin at the Station Gallery in Whitby. This exhibition shares artwork from patrons of 1635 Dundas Street East. The art exhibition will run until April 13, 2025, and details are available at StationGallery.ca/Exhibitions.
• The Region of Durham released a video series, Stories of Resilience, about local homelessness. The videos share real-life stories of people experiencing homelessness, the stigma of being homeless, and the services available to help.
• The Community Liaison Committee (CLC) continues to meet regularly. The Committee shares information, identifies issues, concerns and mitigation strategies that assists in the successful integration of this project, and its residents, into the broader community. CLC Meeting Minutes are posted to Your Durham each month and updates are sent to subscribers.
• A Phase 2 Community Engagement Survey was created with the CLC and was made available to residents from June 27 to September 27, 2024, to gather input from the community to help inform the planning and development of the next phase for 1635 Dundas Street East. A total of 353 respondents completed the survey. Read the full report on Your Durham.

The Region remains committed to helping those experiencing homelessness. The Region of Durham is the Service System Manager for Housing and Homelessness. In that role we coordinate shelter and housing across Durham. A housing-focused approach is taken, where all supports, services, and strategies lead to housing, with the goal of helping someone to end their homelessness.

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“1635 Dundas Street East illustrates the strength of community collaboration, and the positive impacts that wraparound supports, and programming can have. We are so proud of how far the patrons of 1635 Dundas have come in their journey and look forward to their future successes.”

- Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, Commissioner of Social Services

Visit yourvoice.durham.ca/helpaddresshomelessness for more information about 1635 Dundas and to subscribe for updates.

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For media requests, please contact CorporateCommunications@durham.ca.