City rolling out new strategy to help eliminate Dufferin Grove Park homeless encampment

The City of Toronto is hoping a new approach that focuses on connecting people with social services and shelter spaces can help eliminate the large homeless encampment in Dufferin Grove Park.

Starting next month, the city will be implementing what it calls an "enhanced outreach model" in the park that involves daily health and social support visits, waste removal and 24/7 security. 

It also includes an "encampment prevention plan" to stop new tents from popping up by referring individuals to shelter spaces before they become established in an encampment.

"We know housing and shelter leads to the best outcomes for all involved, and our focus remains on getting as many people inside as possible," said Elise von Scheel, a senior communications advisor with the City of Toronto, in an email. 

As of last week, there were 33 tents in the park, down from 47 in November, von Scheel said. 

Coun. Alejandra Bravo, who represents the area, held a meeting last week to get feedback from residents about the new strategy. 

Bravo said she believes an approach that focuses on connecting people with housing and social supports is more effective than removing encampments by force. 

The city came under fire for forcefully clearing encampments in Trinity Bellwoods, Alexandra and Lamport parks in the summer of 2021, which saw police officers in riot gear clear the sites of residents and their supporters, and resulted in dozens of people facing charges.

"We know that doesn't work. We know that that just displaces people along the way from one spot in one park or one to the next," she said. 

"What's working now is this approach that starts with care and a roof and services and supports. We just need a lot more of it."

But Bravo worries that until governments can tackle the affordable housing crisis,the city is going to be dealing with encampments for years to come. 

"We can continue to do this work, but without the affordable housing supply, it's not going to slow down." 

A recent report by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario says more than 81,000 Ontarians were homeless in 2024 — a 25 per cent increase from 2022.

If things continue as is, the report says homelessness is on a trajectory to triple to more than 294,000 people by 2035.

Encampment resident doubtful 

One person who's been living in Dufferin Grove Park for about eight months says they've seen city staff doing outreach in the park for a while now, and are skeptical that the new strategy will work. 

"They say that that's their enhanced approach that they're about to do, but that's practically what they're already doing now. That's not anymore than what they're actually already doing now," said Kai, who CBC is only identifying by their first name due to privacy concerns. 

Kai says unless the city can find spaces for people to go, people are going to continue to live in the park. She said she's been trying to get into subsidized housing for months.  

"I constantly get a response of there's no space, there's no space, there's no space, we have nothing."

Some residents in the area that CBC spoke with said the encampments don't make them feel unsafe, but do worry for those who have no other choice but to live in the park. 

"I'm more concerned about the fact that there are so many of our neighbours that have nowhere indoors to be safe themselves," said Julia Prime, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years. Prime said the encampment residents haven't deterred her from coming to the park with her kids regularly. 

"I think they're more at risk than me and my family coming to use the park." 

Domenic Bellissimo has lived in the area for close to 40 years, and worries that the encampments are becoming normalized. 

"I know it's complicated, I feel for people who are having to be in this situation, but I hope that politicians see that it's become so desperate, we don't get our park and they don't get any adequate housing."