Toronto’s Shelter, Support, and Housing Administration (SSHA) has acquired additional motel space in Toronto to give “some limited ability” to isolate (homeless) persons diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19.

This information, which does not state how many rooms have been secured, is outlined in a March 10 memo provided from Gordon Tanner, the city’s director of homeless initiatives and prevention services, to homeless service providers in Toronto.

This two-page letter complements Toronto Public Health’s existing guidelines for the homeless and housing service sector regarding COVID-19 and gives updates on plans the division is making to assist the sector.

This plan aims to help homeless service providers reduce the risk of exposures of acute respiratory illnesses like coronavirus, support the COVID-19 planning process, and plan for the possible community spread of the illness.

Some of the other ways SSHA plans to handle coronavirus isolation and quarantine for the city’s homeless population include having its partners at Inner City Health Associates — a group comprised of more than 100 physicians working in more than 50 shelters and drop-ins across Toronto — send a memo to all Toronto hospitals this week “advising them against the discharge to shelter or the street of individuals experiencing homelessness that are also persons under investigation or diagnosed with COVID-19. Additional coordination will be needed to work with hospitals in these cases.”

The city has also started to ask those seeking shelter access details about their “current health and recent travel history.”

Further, SSHA has contacted the federal government to confirm what screening is being done for coronavirus at “regular and irregular” ports of entry for refugee claimants entering Canada.

SSHA is also advising homeless service providers to ramp up the routine infection prevention practices for homeless service settings within its facilities, notably having cleaning staff increase the frequency of disinfecting commonly touched surfaces. City of Toronto-run shelters will also be upping their infection control practices. The SSHA is providing extra money to support more of this endeavour.

Last week, it also surveyed all shelter and 24-hour respite programs to collect information about the inventory of personal protective equipment.