A five-storey landmark building near Bathurst and Harbord is about to take on a very different role.
Last August, the City of Toronto purchased 720 Bathurst St, the former home of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), for $16 million. The plan is to convert the site into an Indigenous-focused municipal shelter. According to the City, the future shelter will serve Indigenous adults, with capacity for about 80 people and an estimated opening date of 2028-2029. The roughly 36,000-square-foot space is expected to provide 24/7 staffing and security, along with meals, laundry, on-site medical care and cultural programming.
While Toronto has long funded Indigenous-specific shelter programs, the City notes a key gap in this part of town: there are currently no shelters offering Indigenous-specific services for adults in University-Rosedale.
“Demand for Indigenous shelters offering culturally appropriate services continues to rise, with Indigenous people disproportionally affected by homelessness in Toronto,” the City noted, citing the 2024 Street Needs Assessment. “Indigenous people represent 3% of Toronto’s population – yet account for 9% of people experiencing homelessness.”
The project is part of Toronto’s Council-approved Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy, a plan to open up to 20 new shelters citywide by 2033 in an effort to stabilize demand across the system.
As for how the shelter will run, the City says the site will be inclusive, accessible and pet-friendly, and that it will follow its Shelter Design and Technical Guidelines. Once operational, programming is expected to include culturally based services, and case managers will work with residents on housing plans and connections to community resources.
“The City is committed to working with the community to make this site successful for its resident and its neighbours. This includes a firm commitment to being a good neighbour, providing ongoing shelter updates, responding to questions, and working collaboratively with the City and local community members to solve concerns if they arise.”
For longtime Harbord Village and Annex locals, the shift is significant. CSI operated out of the Bathurst location for years as a coworking and events hub, but its leadership has said that rising costs pushed the organization to sell and consolidate elsewhere.
According to CSI CEO Tanya Surman, the City has invested in something that truly matters for Toronto.
“After 15 years of community, creativity, messy magic, and impact at 720 Bathurst, it feels incredibly meaningful to pass the keys to a purpose like this,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post last month.
Next up is public consultation, with a community meeting expected to be held early this year.
