Lessons Learned from Shelter Hotel Operations

The City's process of contracting for hotel rooms, which allowed the overspending of $13 million dollars, and continues to pay retail day rates for hotel rooms instead of for long-term transitional housing, undermines the ability to meet the City's own objectives. The expense is taking resources that could be used in different ways to help more people that are currently without housing options.

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration, in consultation with the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, to: a. develop an immediate strategy to transition away from shelter services in hotels commencing with the hotel operators that have invoiced and charged the City of Toronto for services not in accordance with the express terms of contract, as found by the City's Auditor report on Item 2022.AU12.2; and b. prioritize within the strategy a plan to develop alternate forms of shelters, including creating additional transitional housing to address homelessness. 3. City Council immediately revoke the delegated authority for the General Manager, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration to enter into or alter agreements with shelter providers without City Council approval.