The Street Needs Assessment (SNA) is a survey and point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto conducted in April, 2021 led by the City’s Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS) in collaboration with community partners in the homelessness sector. The results provide a snapshot of the scope and profile of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto and give people experiencing homelessness a voice in the services they need to find and keep housing.
The 2021 SNA is the City's fifth count and survey of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto and was part of a coordinated point-in time count conducted by communities across Canada and Ontario. The 2021 results provide critical data needed to understand the impact of the pandemic on homelessness, and to understand broader service needs of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. The results of the 2021 Street Needs Assessment were summarized in a report and key highlights slide deck the can be found here.
The 2021 SNA involved a 34 core question survey completed by 2,629 individuals staying outdoors and in encampments, in City-administered shelters and shelter hotels (including COVID-19 response sites and the isolation/recovery site), 24-hour respite sites (including 24-hour women’s drop-ins and winter services in operation), as well as provincially-administered Violence Against Women shelters. The SNA does not include people who are experiencing hidden homelessness, such as people who are temporarily staying with others.
Surveys in indoor shelter locations were conducted over a period of one week (April 19-23, 2021) and the outdoor survey was conducted on April 27, 2021.
This dataset includes the SNA survey results; it does not include the count of people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. Information about the count can be found in the results report.