Housing Support & Out of the Cold

After several unsuccessful attempts to find a place on my own, Dixon Hall came to my rescue. I’m happy here. The waiting list was long, but it was worth it. The place is clean, private and free from the druggies you find in other parts of the city

Bill Cook, on moving into 30 St. Lawrence Street with Dixon Neighbourhood Homes. Bill has now completed the Building Maintenance Program at Ability Learning Network

Housing Support Services

Dixon Hall provides invaluable support to men and women in the community who are homeless as well as those who were formerly homeless by assisting them to prepare for housing, find adequate housing and to provide supports once they are housed. Dixon Hall has established many partnerships with housing providers in the City of Toronto to ensure that the men and women that we serve can find appropriate housing where we continue to provide them with necessary supports. Dixon Hall staff assist clients in a variety of ways such as: budgeting advice, health promotion, income maintenance, conflict resolution and eviction prevention.

In light of the challenges faced by individuals on fixed income Dixon Hall provides a variety of programs and services such as a Drop-In at 58 Sumach Street, access to health care, legal advice, immigration supports, financial services. Weekly breakfast and dinner programs are also provided, as well as holiday lunches and community barbecues all of which help marginally housed individuals to more easily maintain their housing.

58 Sumach Street
Toronto, M5A 3J7
Tel.: 416-863-0499
Fax: 416-863-9981
Manager: David Reycraft

Out of the Cold

On behalf of the City of Toronto, since 2003, Dixon Hall has been providing training and support to the numerous faith based communities providing emergency shelter through the Out of the Cold Program (OOTC). The OOTC program is a volunteer run service (over 3,000 volunteers city wide) which provides accommodation in twenty churches and synagogues between the months of November and April. Each program operates independently providing services based upon the resources they have available to them — from dinners and clothing rooms to legal clinics and laundry facilities. The historic philosophy of the program has been that individuals using the programs are understood as “guests” enjoying the “sanctuary” of the churches and synagogues providing the program.

Along with providing shelter support workers to all of the OOTC sites, Dixon Hall also works in partnership with Na Me Res housing workers, to assist OOTC guests to find housing.

Dixon Hall’s involvement with the Out of the Cold program is an example of the agency’s commitment to help those with the greatest need. Guests of the Out of the Cold program often have the most complex housing needs and suffer from a myriad of mental and physical health issues. In partnership with the sponsoring Agencies, Dixon Hall staff work with the Host sites to address the needs of the guests on a case by case basis.

For more information please go to the Out of the Cold website at www.ootc.ca

To view the 2012/2013 Out of the Cold schedule, please click the following link –

  OUT_OF_THE_COLD_SITE_SCHEDULE_2012.pdf

Interim Manager: Carina Cooke
E-mail: carina.cooke@dixonhall.org
OOTC Phone: 416-863-0499