January 14, 2016
Mayor John Tory and Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina) today announced the start of shelter support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirited (LGBTQ2S) homeless youth at Toronto's YMCA Sprott House. The 25-bed transitional housing facility, the largest of its kind and one of only a handful across the country, is the first of two programs for LGBTQ2S homeless youth in Toronto expected to open this year.
Mayor Tory and Councillor Cressy were joined by Medhat Mahdy, CEO of YMCA of Greater Toronto, and Diane Sinhuber, Chair of the Board of Directors, YMCA of Greater Toronto. David Harrison, Chair of the Annex Residents' Association, and Dr. Alex Abramovich, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), also participated in today's event.
"In the 2015 budget, we made a monumental investment to support members of the LGBTQ2S community who have been left behind," said Mayor Tory. "The YMCA Sprott House will provide a safe, inclusive space for those who need a helping hand."
"Extensive research and community input make it clear that LGBTQ2S youth are an underserved population within our existing shelter system," said Councillor Cressy. "YMCA Sprott House will provide support for youth to access critical services while living in a safe and supportive environment. We are proud to welcome these services to our community."
City staff met with a group of community stakeholders from the LGBTQ2S community in 2012. At that time the group identified, among other issues, the lack of demographic data related to homelessness among the LGBTQ2S community.
As a result of these discussions, a question was included in Toronto's 2013 Street Needs Assessment to determine an estimate of the number and needs of LGBTQ2S people experiencing homelessness in Toronto.
The 2013 Street Needs Assessment indicated that 21 per cent or one in five homeless youth in Toronto identified as LGBTQ2S, more than twice the overall rate for all survey respondents (nine per cent). Given the stigma often associated with "coming out" as LGBTQ2S-identified, it is possible that nine per cent is an under-estimate of the total number of LGBTQ2S people who are homeless.
City Council approved funding for two LGBTQ2S youth shelters in Shelter, Support and Housing Administration's 2015 operating budget.
The City selected the YMCA's proposal to provide transitional housing in its Sprott House.
“I am very proud the YMCA of Greater Toronto was selected to operate a transitional housing program for LGBTQ2S youth in the City of Toronto,” said Mahdy. “The YMCA recognizes and values diversity and social inclusion as underpinnings of what we stand for and what we do. Sprott will offer a safe and welcoming environment LGBTQ2S youth need to transition to a healthy adulthood. I truly believe Sprott House will impact the health and lives of everyone it touches.”
The YMCA is currently accepting referrals through its website at
https://ymcagta.org/youth-programs/youth-housing. Clients will begin moving into YMCA Sprott House on February 1, and the YMCA anticipates that all 25 beds will be occupied by the middle of March.
Sprott House is located on Walmer Road in Ward 20.
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit
http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.
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Media contacts:
Keerthana Kamalavasan, Office of the Mayor, 647-460-7507, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Patricia Anderson, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, 416-397-4328, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lia Brewer, Office of Councillor Cressy, 416-392-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Antoine Tedesco, YMCA, 647-624-4565
