World Homeless Day – Islington Seniors’ Shelter

The Islington Seniors’ Shelter opened its doors in late 2018. Staff work exclusively with men and women over the age 55 who are experiencing homelessness.

The three-story building has 90-fully accessible beds. A 2018 City of Toronto study showed that of the more than 8,000 people experiencing homelessness in the city, 18.2 per cent were seniors aged 55 and up.

“Here at Islington Seniors’ Shelter, it’s kind of a unique opportunity because we have two populations we’re working with – we have the homeless population and they are also seniors,” says Supervisor of Case Management Joshua McClement.

“Seniors are looking for something stable and safe pretty quickly, so even though the shelter is a safe place that we have, a challenge we have is getting seniors to stable places as well.”

Joshua says staff are always looking for ways to increase the level of care for seniors residing at the shelter, using personal support workers and facilitating referrals to other agencies.

“There are different needs that seniors have and we’re trying to provide ways to support those seniors by partnering with agencies in the community so they can find the support they need,” Joshua says.

The Salvation Army Islington Seniors’ Shelter is ‘More Than a Shelter.’