Shelter Design and Technical Guidelines

In 2019, HAI was engaged by City of Toronto to consolidate the best design thinking and practices in the design of shelters for people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. The Guidelines are intended to be a living document which is reviewed and updated over the course of its life. The most recent update was in 2023.

These Guidelines are intended to enhance positive outcomes and experiences for all shelter users, staff, visitors, and the surrounding community in new and renovated shelters. They are also meant to facilitate designs that promote dignity, equity, comfort, and choice to support shelter-users in moving to permanent housing.

The methodology used to develop these Guidelines was based on a collaborative, human-centred engagement process with a diverse group of stakeholders including vulnerable groups of people who are over-represented in the shelter system. These Guidelines try to acknowledge and convey the complex array of structural and systemic barriers faced by Indigenous peoples, Black peoples, 2SLGBTQ+ peoples, people of colour, refugees, people with accessibility needs, and many other equity-deserving groups who disproportionately experience homelessness. Its content is intended to assist the designer in understanding and responding to these issues in shelter design.