Emergency Housing Responses
Strengthening the Housing Continuum
The City’s investment in the new shelter and additional supportive housing properties creates more opportunities for progression along the housing continuum. The housing continuum describes the range of housing options available to people from emergency shelter and transitional housing through supportive housing and ultimately independent, market or subsidized housing. The City of Kingston’s diverse homelessness services meet people where they are along this continuum.
Significant progress has been made in our local emergency housing responses, with five (5) new services opening over a six months period from Q4 of 2025 to Q1 of 2026. The City is fortunate to have strong community parters and agencies to support successful housing programs and projects. To learn more about recent and upcoming projects, see the table and public updates below.
Kingston’s recent progress in Emergency Housing Responses
Homelessness in Kingston
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. 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 February 2026) 390 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 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.
Projects in development and/or with active community engagement
| Address | Operators | Services | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 Cowdy Street | Adelaide Street Shelter - Operated by Lionhearts Inc | 55 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. | Closed April 2026 |
| 924 Sydenham Road | Doors of Compassion | 30-33 Emergency co-ed shelter beds for individuals experiencing homelessness. Potential to expand to 45 beds during periods of extreme weather. Case Management and access to housing resources. Referral to mental health services and access to food and showers. Space for couples pets, and overnight storage for personal belongings. | Opened February 2026. |
| Single detached home - Lakeside District (167 Braemar Rd.) | Ryandale Transitional Housing | Residents will have access to a comprehensive range of wraparound supports, including: mental health services, addiction recovery programs, primary health care, life skills training, case management, social and recreational activities, housekeeping and property management, trauma-informed care, and connections to broader services such as employment supports, legal aid, and cultural programming. Each single detached home will accommodate up to 8 individuals with low to medium acuity. | Open, welcoming residents |
| Single detached home - Collins-Bayridge District (1056 Palmerston Cres.) | Potential operator is Ryandale Transitional Housing | Residents will have access to a comprehensive range of wraparound supports, including: mental health services, addiction recovery programs, primary health care, life skills training, case management, social and recreational activities, housekeeping and property management, trauma-informed care, and connections to broader services such as employment supports, legal aid, and cultural programming. Each single detached home will accommodate up to 8 individuals with low to medium acuity. | Open, welcoming residents |
| Single detached home - Pittsburgh District (407 Sheila Court) | Tipi Moza (Ironhomes) | Residents will have access to a comprehensive range of wraparound supports, including: mental health services, addiction recovery programs, primary health care, life skills training, case management, social and recreational activities, housekeeping and property management, trauma-informed care, and connections to broader services such as employment supports, legal aid, and cultural programming. Each single detached home will accommodate up to 8 individuals with low to medium acuity. | Opening mid-April 2026 |
| 2320 Princess Street | Dawn House | 20 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. | Opened Nov. 2025 |
| 315 Queen Mary Road | Home Base Housing | 35-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 support | In development |
| New Shelter | On hold | 30-45 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. The need for this future shelter is being assessed based on bringing online supportive housing and the winddown of Adelaide Street Shelter. | On hold pending needs reassessment. |
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.
