Homelessness Programs and Services

Support for people experiencing homelessness

The Off the Street Emergency Shelter is available for adults of any gender, aged 18 and older. Located at 200 Larch St., it is open seven days a week, from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. It provides a safe, warm place to sleep, with light refreshments, access to washrooms and showers, and housing-focused referral services to individuals who are homeless. For more information, visit Off the Street Emergency Shelter.

Cedar Place is an emergency shelter for women aged 20 and older, or families with children. Located at 261 Cedar St., it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It provides a safe, warm place to sleep, three nutritious meals, access to washrooms and showers, and housing-focused referral services. For more information, visit: Cedar Place.

As well, the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth provides four emergency shelter beds for youth aged 16 to 24 years connected to its warming centre at 95 Pine St. For more information, visit: Sudbury Action Centre for Youth.

The Elizabeth Fry Society provides nine emergency shelter beds for women and gender-diverse individuals aged 19 and over. Located at 288 Kingsmount Blvd., the shelter operates seven days a week from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Homelessness Programs

Outreach

Street Outreach is a program administered by the Homelessness Network and intended to engage and support people who may be living outdoors, in tents, or other places not meant for human habitation. Outreach staff walk and drive to locations where people are known to be and offer help to individuals by providing a wide range of services aimed at intervention, reintegration and social and community re-adaptation. Services provided include referral to community resources, suicide intervention, immediate first aid, health support and transportation to essential services. They also provide blankets, clothing and supplies to those in need. During an Extreme Cold Weather Alert, the outreach team operates the outreach van overnight to transport people to safe places, such as shelters and warming centres.

 

Encampment Response Strategy

The City continues to respond to encampments in the community by following strategies outlined in the Encampment Response Guide developed by OrgCode Consulting Inc. The City engaged with OrgCode Consulting Inc. in August 2021 to develop a coordinated, supportive, and successful approach to addressing encampments. 

The Encampment Response Infographic outlines the process City staff follow when responding to encampments in the community. 

 

Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative

The Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) program supports low-income individuals and families who are homeless, or who are at risk of homelessness, by providing funds to pay a last month’s rent deposit, rental arrears or a utility deposit or arrears. The program guidelines have been expanded to support individuals and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Maximum amount of assistance within a 24 month period:

  • $900 for a single person or couple with no children
  • $1,600 for a family with children

Eligibility: 

  • CHPI is available to Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients and low income persons. 
  • Individuals and families with low income who are not on OW or ODSP can apply through the Centre de santé communautaire de Sudbury

Contact: 

  • Ontario Works and ODSP recipients contact the OW office: 705-675-2411
  • Low income earners contact the Centre de Sante Communautaire du Grand Sudbury: 705- 618-8810

Street Wise Services Guide (PDF)

 

Free Meals

Organization Meals and Services Days/Hours of Operation
The Elgin Street Mission
344 Elgin St.
705-673-2163
  • Daily breakfast and supper
  • Laundry and shower facilities 
  • Other drop in center services 
 Open seven days a week
  • Monday to Friday: breakfast from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
  • Saturday/Sunday: brunch from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
  • Daily supper from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

The Blue Soup Kitchen Café 
344 Elgin St.
705-675-5300
  • Hot afternoon meals
 Closed on weekends
  • Monday to Friday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.


Learn more about the City’s Housing First Model

Housing First is a model of service delivery that states there are no pre-requisites for housing. Under the Housing First model, individuals do not need to stay sober or be going to treatment in order to get housing. The primary goal is to assist someone to secure housing that is safe, affordable and appropriate, as quickly as possible. Once housed, individuals are provided with additional supports and services as needed to help them maintain housing and avoid returning to homelessness.

The guiding principles of Housing First are:

  • Immediate access to permanent housing with no housing readiness requirements

  • Consumer choice and self determination
  • Recovery orientation
  • Individualized and client driven supports
  • Social and community integration

To learn more about Housing First, visit: Homeless Hub.

The Homelessness Network provides a Housing First program in Greater Sudbury. For more information, about the Housing First program in Greater Sudbury, visit Homelessness Network.

 

Extreme Cold Weather Alert

An Extreme Cold Weather Alert is issued when the temperature is expected to be below -15 degrees Celsius, below -20 degrees with a wind chill, or when Environment Canada issues a storm watch or weather warning. Between November 1 and March 31 every year, the Homelessness Network monitors Environment Canada and calls the Alert. When an Alert is issued, additional services are put in place over the next 24 hours to ensure people living outdoors can stay warm.

When an Alert is issued, the Homelessness Network Outreach Team operates an outreach van overnight. They transport people to safe places such as a shelter or warming center. They also provide people who choose to stay outside with extra clothing, blankets and coffee. The Extreme Cold Weather Alert program is funded by the City of Greater Sudbury, and administered by the Homelessness Network.


Coordinated Access System

Community agencies in partnership with the City of Greater Sudbury have implemented a Coordinated Access System. This means that people who are experiencing homelessness will be matched to the level of housing and/or supports that best meets their needs. Community partners will work together, instead of the person having to go from place to place. A Coordinated Access System allows the City to collect data about homelessness that will help determine where we need to focus more resources. 

To read more, visit Coordinated Access System.

 

By-Name List

Part of a Coordinated Access System is holding a “By-Name List.” This is a real-time list of people experiencing homelessness in our community. It includes every individual who is homeless and consents to having their name added to the list. With a By-Name List, we will know, in real time, how many people are homeless, how many people were housed, and how we are doing at reducing the number of people who are homeless in Greater Sudbury.

To learn more about By-Name Lists, visit Built for Zero Canada.

Up to date By-Name List data can be accessed on the Homelessness Data page. 

 

Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS)

The Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS) is a web-based system that will help the City better understand homelessness in the community and allow service providers to share data and work collaboratively to support people experiencing homelessness.

HIFIS supports communities by allowing multiple service providers to access real-time homelessness data and refer clients to the services at the right time. HIFIS allows the service providers to collaborate through a community-wide system that can be accessed from web-enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and tablets. 

HIFIS benefits clients, service providers, and the homelessness sector by:

  • enabling clients’ assessment, prioritization and referral to services at the right time without requiring clients to repeat their stories multiple times

  • empowering service providers with reporting tools to increase understanding of local homelessness trends and needs, and
  • contributing to a comprehensive portrait of homelessness in Canada, informing evidenced-based policy and decision-making

Service providers participating in HIFIS include:

To learn more about the system, visit Homeless Individuals and Families Information System