Emergency Housing Responses

Kingston, like cities across the country, remains in a housing and affordability crises that is compounded by insufficient addiction and mental health supports. These realities continue to put strain on the emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing systems.

Homelessness in Kingston

Chronically homeless is defined by being homeless or underhoused for 6 of the last 12 months or for 18 months over the last 3 years. There are (as of March 2025) 362 persons considered chronically homeless in Kingston. Encampments are one of the most visible and urgent signs of the growing homelessness crisis. There are 100+ individuals who frequently reside in encampments across the city who are connected to Street Outreach support services. The Homelessness Individuals Family Information System (HIFIS) shows another 160 individuals who find themselves sleeping rough intermittently. The transition of individuals from encampment into emergency shelter allows for individuals to receive essential services, such as case management and systems navigation supports, mental health resources and a general stabilization in their lives while they transition towards permanent housing.

How do emergency shelters, transitional and supportive housing help?

  • provide essential support to individuals in immediate housing crisis
  • act as a stepping stone to permanent housing
  • reduce reliance on other high-cost services (e.g. emergency rooms)
  • bring people indoors, providing an alternative to sleeping in parks (encampments)

Shelters, transitional and supportive housing provide critical services to help individuals experiencing or in threat of experiencing homelessness gain stability as they work toward permanent housing. Many individuals using these services are working but are unable to afford market or even affordable rents.

Housing continuum diagram


New Shelters and Transitional/Supportive Housing

The City of Kingston is committed to evolving emergency shelter and transitional/supportive housing services to better support people in the community who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

With clear Council direction and support, we are taking steps to provide timely assistance to those in need throughout Kingston.

Council has provided specific direction to continue moving services across a broader geography to ensure that the concentration of housing/shelter services does not continue to disproportionately affect specific districts or further concentrate and thereby stigmatize vulnerable populations. With this in mind, the City has been seeking locations for new shelter and transitional/supportive housing projects that are increasingly geographically dispersed, are on or near to transit routes, that are appropriately sized to support smaller scale operations for ease of community integration and that offer opportunities to be redeveloped/repurposed in future and in alignment to needs along the housing continuum.

For all property acquisitions, the City follows Section 239(2)(c) of the Municipal Act, 2001 (the Act) which provides that a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered is a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board. This is the process the City has followed for all its affordable, transitional, and supportive housing and other property acquisitions. Once a property is selected for acquisition, this intent is then voted on in an open session of Council.

Integrating Housing Services into Communities

Members of Council, neighbours, partner agencies and City staff are equally important in helping integrate shelter and transitional/supportive housing services into communities.

The City is committed to providing ongoing updates, receiving questions, and guiding a constructive community-led engagement process to those neighbourhoods that will include emergency housing solutions, including those with new shelters and new transitional/supportive housing projects. The intent is to ensure clear and consistent communication with the community and raise awareness of future engagement opportunities designed to hear concerns and to collaborate on how sites can be successfully integrated into their neighbourhoods.

Where appropriate, new shelter and transitional/supportive housing projects will host near neighbour community meetings and move toward the creation of Community Liaison Committees (CLC). CLCs are a means of connecting near neighbours, business owners, site operators and City support teams to share information, address questions, discuss challenges and collaborate on integrating housing services into neighbourhoods and addressing community concerns.

Projects in development and/or with active community engagement

AddressOperatorsServicesStatus
38 Cowdy StreetAdelaide Street Shelter - Operated by Lionhearts Inc55 Emergency Co-ed shelter beds for adults 25+ who are experiencing homelessness.
Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food, and Day Services programming.
Space for couples, and overnight storage for personal belongings.		Open (Winding down)
924 Sydenham RoadTBD30-45 Emergency co-ed shelter beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers. Space for couple’s pets, and overnight storage for personal belongings.In development connected to wind down of shelter operations at 38 Cowdy Street
TBDTBD30-45 Emergency co-ed shelter beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers. Space for couple’s pets, and overnight storage for personal belongings.Potential property assessment underway. Future shelter is connected to wind down of shelter operations at 38 Cowdy Street
2312 Princess StreetDawn House20 emergency shelter beds for women experiencing homelessness. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers.In development
309 Queen Mary RoadHome Base Housing35-unit Supportive Transitional Housing program for individuals who identify as ages 55+ who are transitioning from homelessness. Case Management support, life skills training, job skill support, medical supportIn development


Kingston, like cities across the country, remains in a housing and affordability crises that is compounded by insufficient addiction and mental health supports. These realities continue to put strain on the emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing systems.

Homelessness in Kingston

Chronically homeless is defined by being homeless or underhoused for 6 of the last 12 months or for 18 months over the last 3 years. There are (as of March 2025) 362 persons considered chronically homeless in Kingston. Encampments are one of the most visible and urgent signs of the growing homelessness crisis. There are 100+ individuals who frequently reside in encampments across the city who are connected to Street Outreach support services. The Homelessness Individuals Family Information System (HIFIS) shows another 160 individuals who find themselves sleeping rough intermittently. The transition of individuals from encampment into emergency shelter allows for individuals to receive essential services, such as case management and systems navigation supports, mental health resources and a general stabilization in their lives while they transition towards permanent housing.

How do emergency shelters, transitional and supportive housing help?

  • provide essential support to individuals in immediate housing crisis
  • act as a stepping stone to permanent housing
  • reduce reliance on other high-cost services (e.g. emergency rooms)
  • bring people indoors, providing an alternative to sleeping in parks (encampments)

Shelters, transitional and supportive housing provide critical services to help individuals experiencing or in threat of experiencing homelessness gain stability as they work toward permanent housing. Many individuals using these services are working but are unable to afford market or even affordable rents.

Housing continuum diagram


New Shelters and Transitional/Supportive Housing

The City of Kingston is committed to evolving emergency shelter and transitional/supportive housing services to better support people in the community who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

With clear Council direction and support, we are taking steps to provide timely assistance to those in need throughout Kingston.

Council has provided specific direction to continue moving services across a broader geography to ensure that the concentration of housing/shelter services does not continue to disproportionately affect specific districts or further concentrate and thereby stigmatize vulnerable populations. With this in mind, the City has been seeking locations for new shelter and transitional/supportive housing projects that are increasingly geographically dispersed, are on or near to transit routes, that are appropriately sized to support smaller scale operations for ease of community integration and that offer opportunities to be redeveloped/repurposed in future and in alignment to needs along the housing continuum.

For all property acquisitions, the City follows Section 239(2)(c) of the Municipal Act, 2001 (the Act) which provides that a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered is a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board. This is the process the City has followed for all its affordable, transitional, and supportive housing and other property acquisitions. Once a property is selected for acquisition, this intent is then voted on in an open session of Council.

Integrating Housing Services into Communities

Members of Council, neighbours, partner agencies and City staff are equally important in helping integrate shelter and transitional/supportive housing services into communities.

The City is committed to providing ongoing updates, receiving questions, and guiding a constructive community-led engagement process to those neighbourhoods that will include emergency housing solutions, including those with new shelters and new transitional/supportive housing projects. The intent is to ensure clear and consistent communication with the community and raise awareness of future engagement opportunities designed to hear concerns and to collaborate on how sites can be successfully integrated into their neighbourhoods.

Where appropriate, new shelter and transitional/supportive housing projects will host near neighbour community meetings and move toward the creation of Community Liaison Committees (CLC). CLCs are a means of connecting near neighbours, business owners, site operators and City support teams to share information, address questions, discuss challenges and collaborate on integrating housing services into neighbourhoods and addressing community concerns.

Projects in development and/or with active community engagement

AddressOperatorsServicesStatus
38 Cowdy StreetAdelaide Street Shelter - Operated by Lionhearts Inc55 Emergency Co-ed shelter beds for adults 25+ who are experiencing homelessness.
Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food, and Day Services programming.
Space for couples, and overnight storage for personal belongings.		Open (Winding down)
924 Sydenham RoadTBD30-45 Emergency co-ed shelter beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers. Space for couple’s pets, and overnight storage for personal belongings.In development connected to wind down of shelter operations at 38 Cowdy Street
TBDTBD30-45 Emergency co-ed shelter beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers. Space for couple’s pets, and overnight storage for personal belongings.Potential property assessment underway. Future shelter is connected to wind down of shelter operations at 38 Cowdy Street
2312 Princess StreetDawn House20 emergency shelter beds for women experiencing homelessness. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers.In development
309 Queen Mary RoadHome Base Housing35-unit Supportive Transitional Housing program for individuals who identify as ages 55+ who are transitioning from homelessness. Case Management support, life skills training, job skill support, medical supportIn development


  • City Council Approves Property Purchase for Temporary Emergency Shelter Operations

    The City of Kingston is committed to evolving emergency shelter and transitional or supportive housing services to better support people in the community who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. With clear Council direction and support, we are taking steps to provide timely assistance to those in need throughout Kingston.

    As has been previously shared, the City is moving to wind down the temporary shelter services offered at Adelaide Street Shelter and has been advancing work on various properties within the city to relocate these existing shelter services to new locations. Tonight, May 6, 2025, Council approved the purchase of 924 Sydenham Rd. with the plan to develop an emergency shelter on this site and to relocate a portion of the services that are currently offered at Adelaide Street Shelter to this new location.

    This new shelter will have a minimum 30 bed capacity, with room for an additional expansion of 15 beds as needed, and especially in consideration of the annual increased need for shelter beds seen each winter.

  • Taking Strategic Action on Emergency Shelter Services

    The City of Kingston is committed to adapting emergency shelter services to better support people in the community who are experiencing homelessness and is taking steps to address homelessness and provide timely assistance to those in need throughout Kingston. By investing $6,280,000 from the 2025 approved capital budget -- including a $280,000 contribution from the Community Benefit Fund -- the City is moving to wind down the temporary shelter services offered at Adelaide Street Shelter later this year and has been advancing work on various properties within the city to relocate existing shelter services to new locations.

    How Delegated Authority Helps Us Address Unique Challenges

    The City’s By-Law Number 2022-154, A By-Law to Establish a Procurement Policy (the Procurement Bylaw) sets out processes for how the City approaches purchasing and signing contracts. Depending on what is being purchased or how complex a contract is, these processes can take months to prepare, issue, review and award.

    On April 1, 2025, Council delegated authority to the Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Financial Officer or their delegates to proceed directly to the non-standard procurement method identified in the Procurement Bylaw. This delegated authority helps the City open new shelter services as soon as possible by expediting purchases associated with shelter developments such as service contracts with trades, renovation materials, temporary structures, and furniture.

    Staff will report back on contracts awarded as part of the monthly Delegation of Authority information report to Council.

    Future Plans and Property Acquisition

    Acknowledging the pressures associated with larger shelter sites, as well as recognizing people can experience homelessness in all areas of the community, t he City is actively reviewing property options with the understanding that any acquired or leased property will require renovations, additional servicing or infrastructure needs, or temporary structures.

    Property acquisitions themselves must still be approved by Council and are not included in the delegated authority approved by Council on April 1, 2025.

    For all property acquisitions, the City follows Section 239(2)(c) of the Municipal Act, 2001 (the Act) which provides that a meeting may be closed to the public if the subject matter being considered is a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board. This is the process the City has followed for all its affordable, transitional, and supportive housing and other property acquisitions.

    To learn more about how the City of Kingston is expanding housing options and working to improve service to people who are unhoused or precariously housed, visit our Strategic Priorities.


Page last updated: 15 May 2025, 01:26 PM