Emergency Shelter Guidelines Frequently Asked Questions

The previous Guidelines were introduced in 2011. Since then, London’s homelessness response and the role of emergency shelters have changed significantly.

The updated Guidelines reflect:

• a stronger focus on helping participants move toward housing 
• Housing First and Coordinated Access principles 
• increased health and harm reduction supports 
• lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic 
• greater emphasis on privacy, dignity, accessibility and inclusion 
• feedback from emergency shelter providers and people with lived and living experience of homelessness 

The Guidelines are intended to support consistent, accountable and responsive service delivery across London’s emergency shelter system. 

The Guidelines apply to all emergency and transitional emergency shelters funded by the City of London, regardless of their built form or the specific population or program they serve.

Providers must also continue to follow applicable legislation, municipal bylaws, their service agreements with the City and any other legal or professional obligations that apply to their organization. 

Not necessarily. The Guidelines provide a consistent system-wide framework, but implementation may look different depending on:

• the population served 
• the services offered 
• the size and design of the facility  
• existing organizational policies 
• legal and regulatory requirements 
• the terms of the provider’s operating agreement 

Where a situation is not specifically addressed, providers should use reasonable judgment and consult the City of London’s Housing Stability Services team when guidance is required. 

The City of London recognizes that some requirements may be more difficult to implement within existing facilities. For example, space allocation, bed separation, washroom design or privacy improvements may require longer-term planning or capital changes.

Providers should:

• identify the requirement or implementation challenge 
• document what is currently in place  
• consider reasonable interim measures 
• identify what would be required to achieve the expectation 
• discuss the situation with Housing Stability Services 

Organizations entering into service agreements may be required to meet the Guidelines or provide a detailed plan showing how compliance will be achieved within an agreed timeframe. 

A housing-focused approach means that shelter services are organized around helping participants stabilize and move toward permanent housing.

This includes:

• identifying housing needs and barriers 
• developing housing and financial plans 
• supporting applications for housing and income supports
• helping participants obtain identification 
• connecting participants to Coordinated Access 
• coordinating with community and health partners 
• documenting progress throughout the participant’s stay using the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS)

Emergency shelter services continue to meet immediate needs but are not intended to function solely as a long-term source of basic needs support. 

All providers are expected to offer some degree of service planning.

At a minimum, a participant’s service plan must include a housing plan and a financial plan. The plan should be participant-centred, collaborative, respectful and responsive to the person’s individual needs, strengths, goals and preferences. 

Staff must meet with participants at least monthly to review and update the service plan as needed.

Plans should also be reviewed when:

• circumstances change 
• new barriers or opportunities arise  
• the participant transitions to another program or provider 
• the participant reaches the 90-day length-of-stay benchmark 
• discharge planning begins 

Service-plan timelines may be modified in consultation where appropriate. 

No standard maximum length of stay is established in the updated Guidelines.

Length of stay should be considered on a case-by-case basis. The Guidelines use 90 days as a benchmark for reassessing the participant’s service plan. It is not an automatic discharge date. 

At 90 days, staff should review:

• progress toward housing and financial goals 
• remaining barriers 
• whether referrals or applications are current 
• whether additional supports are needed 
• whether the existing plan remains appropriate 
• what changes may help move the plan forward 

Separate timelines or conditions may still apply under a provider’s operating or funding agreement.

Low-barrier service means working to reduce unnecessary barriers that prevent people from accessing shelter and support.

It includes:

• meeting participants where they are  
• considering individual circumstances 
• providing accessible information 
• using reasonable and proportionate rules 
• responding to potential or actual behaviour and safety risks 
• avoiding unnecessarily punitive responses 
• adapting services when circumstances change 

Low-barrier service does not mean that shelters operate without rules. Rules should protect health and safety while supporting continued engagement and access to services.

Orientation must be provided within 24 hours of admission and should include information about:

• shelter rules and expectations 
• check-in or curfew requirements 
• meals and washroom facilities 
• health and safety procedures 
• emergency procedures 
• participant rights and responsibilities 
• service restrictions 
• complaints and appeals 
• available harm reduction services 
• naloxone availability 

A shelter tour must be offered within 48 hours of admission. 

Yes. Participation in HIFIS is mandatory for emergency shelter providers with a service agreement with the City of London.

HIFIS supports:

• admission and discharge records 
• occupancy management 
• service planning 
• Coordinated Access 
• consistent information sharing 
• system planning and reporting 
• connections to housing and support opportunities 

Providers are responsible for ensuring that required information is entered accurately and kept current. 

No. Personal health information, including medication information, must not be stored in HIFIS. That information must be managed separately and in accordance with applicable privacy and health-information requirements. 

Providers can contact hifissupport@london.ca for HIFIS technical support. 

Service restrictions must be used as a last resort to address potential or actual serious disruptive or unsafe behaviours. However, providers may issue an immediate restriction when necessary to address significant safety, security or operational concerns.

Examples of behaviours that may warrant a service restriction include:

• violence or threats of violence 
• behaviours that create dangerous circumstances for others
• significant rule violations that continue after repeated efforts to address them 

Restrictions must be approved by the shelter’s Executive Director or a delegate identified in the organization’s policy.

Where appropriate, restrictions should be rehabilitative rather than punitive. Restrictions should be limited to the specific program or service wherever possible. 

A site-wide restriction may be warranted depending on the severity of a participant’s past or present behaviours.

Providers must exhaust referral options, including referral to another emergency shelter where appropriate. Where a restriction prevents access to required supports, providers must make reasonable efforts to connect the participant with those supports through another shelter or appropriate service provider. 

Providers must record the following information in HIFIS:

• the reason for the restriction 
• any review of the restriction requested by the participant
• the date the restriction will be lifted 
• the name of the staff member who issued it 
• the steps taken to help the participant understand the restriction 

Providers must also explain how participants can appeal the decision through the shelter’s internal appeal process. 

No. Providers must assess health needs and safety risks and respond to serious disruptive or unsafe behaviours through their service restriction policies.

Providers must maintain a policy addressing the possession and use of alcohol, cannabis, illegal substances and medications without a prescription. The policy must consider participant and staff safety, applicable legislation and the operator’s practices and procedures.

The Guidelines prohibit smoking indoors.

Yes. Providers must have harm reduction policies and procedures that address:

• overdose prevention and response 
• wellness checks 
• how harm reduction supplies are distributed, collected and disposed of
• naloxone availability 
• staff training 
• referrals to community health and harm reduction services 

During admission, providers must explain the harm reduction services available and let participants know how to access supplies and naloxone. All participants must be offered a naloxone kit and training upon admission.

Yes. Naloxone kits must be available at every shelter for staff and participant use. All participants must be offered a naloxone kit and training upon admission.

All program staff on each shift must be trained in overdose prevention, recognition and response, including how to administer naloxone. 

Providers must maintain policies and procedures for the safe management, storage, handling and disposal of participants’ prescription medications.

These must address secure access, appropriate storage conditions, staff roles and qualifications, and participant privacy, in accordance with applicable legislation and regulatory requirements. 

Participants are responsible for administering their own medication, except where a regulated health professional provides medication administration or assistance within their scope of practice.

Providers must have a policy describing how services preserve the safety and dignity of 2SLGBTQIA+ participants. A copy or plain language version must be available to participants on request.

Providers must:

• treat participants with dignity and respect, without discrimination on any protected ground, while maintaining appropriate safety protocols
• support transgender participants’ access to sleeping areas and washrooms consistent with their gender identity and safety needs
• accommodate requests for a private or non-gender-specific sleeping space where possible, or a sleeping area that best preserves the participant’s safety and dignity
• provide at least one non-gender-specific, barrier-free and accessible washroom and inform participants of its location
• take reasonable measures to protect privacy and safety while showering
• provide appropriate referrals to 2SLGBTQ+-positive health and support services when those services are not available onsite

Providers are expected to support culturally safe and respectful service delivery by:

• strengthening staff awareness of Indigenous histories and cultures 
• seeking training from Indigenous organizations 
• supporting access to Indigenous-specific services 
• building respectful partnerships with Indigenous service providers 
• accommodating requests to smudge or use sacred medicines 
• treating cultural belongings respectfully 

Implementation should respect the autonomy and self-determination of Indigenous organizations and participants. 

Providers must comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and take all reasonable measures to accommodate participants with disabilities.

Requirements include:

• accessibility training for employees, volunteers and agents who serve the public
• orientation for new program staff, students, peer workers and volunteers that covers accessibility requirements, including service animals
• alternate and accessible communication formats and supports, as well as staff knowledge of how to access these supports
• evacuation procedures that address participants with mobility issues or other disabilities, as well as service animals

Facility requirements for washrooms and showers are also addressed in the Guidelines’ basic needs and personal space provisions.

The Guidelines establish:

• at least 3.5 square metres of personal space per participant in sleeping areas 
• at least 0.75 metres of lateral separation between beds or alternative sleeping arrangements 
• floor plans showing bed spacing 
• clear walking paths and emergency sightlines 
• measures to improve privacy in sleeping areas 

Some exceptions apply, including family rooms occupied by one household and approved temporary arrangements during exceptional circumstances. Providers experiencing space limitations should discuss implementation with Housing Stability Services. 

Yes. Providers must have a belongings policy and provide lockers or another secure form of storage. Policies should explain how belongings are stored, retrieved and disposed of, including the treatment of unattended identification and important documents. 

The specific supports will depend on the participant’s needs and the type of shelter, but at a minimum, shelters must provide or help participants access:

• Bedding and towels: Upon admission, each participant must be offered two clean sheets, a blanket, a pillow and pillowcase, and a towel. Additional bedding must be provided when needed, and bedding and towels must be regularly changed and laundered. 
• Hygiene supplies: Soap, shampoo, a toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving products, menstrual products and incontinence products, as appropriate, must be offered upon admission or within 12 hours and remain available upon request. Low-fragrance or hypoallergenic products should be provided where possible. 
• Food and nutrition: Adults and youth must be offered three meals and at least one healthy snack each day. Children must receive three meals and two to three healthy snacks. Shelters must accommodate food allergies, intolerances and religious or medically prescribed diets where possible. 
• Clothing and daily needs: Based on individual need, shelters must help participants obtain seasonally appropriate clothing and footwear and provide access to water, rest, washrooms, showers and laundry services. 
• Washroom and shower facilities: Shelters must provide accessible washroom facilities, adequate toilets, sinks and showers, essential washroom supplies and reasonable privacy while showering. 

Basic needs services must be provided in a way that supports participants’ health, dignity, privacy and individual needs.

Providers must take additional steps to protect participants during an extreme weather or air quality alert and as directed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit.

They must also follow the extreme weather requirements in their service agreements with the City and participate in the City’s Extreme Temperature Protocol.

During an extreme weather or air quality alert and as directed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit, providers must:

• divert resources as needed to maintain core shelter and meal services 
• provide at least one air-conditioned cooling area during a heat-based weather alert or smoke alerts 
• relax admission eligibility requirements 
• provide or extend daytime access 
• temporarily suspend service restrictions, expect where a participant poses a threat or danger to another individual’s health or safety, or shelter security 
• refer a participant whose restriction remains in place to another shelter where appropriate 
• help participants obtain seasonal clothing and footwear

Providers must also follow capacity and operational requirements in their service agreements and applicable City protocols. Providers must receive prior City approval before opening capacity beyond what is required under their agreement. 

Yes. Providers must develop, implement and maintain infection prevention and control policies and procedures, including an outbreak management plan. 

These must align with applicable legislation, public health requirements and relevant public health guidance, including guidance from the Middlesex-London Health Unit and Public Health Ontario.

Staff must be informed of and appropriately trained in the policies and procedures, including outbreak prevention, identification, management and response.

Providers must also follow the Guidelines’ requirements for personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfection, illness monitoring and staff education. 

At a minimum:

• staff must be present and attentive during shelter operating hours 
• at least one staff member with valid first aid and CPR certification must be on duty 
• staff must conduct regular rounds 
• emergency exits and entrances must be secured appropriately 
• staff must be trained in emergency and fire procedures 
• naloxone and first aid supplies must be available 
• hazardous materials and waste must be managed through written procedures 

Additional requirements may apply under occupational health and safety, fire, building and other legislation. 

Providers should begin by:

1. Reviewing the sections that apply to their services. 
2. Comparing the Guidelines with existing policies, procedures and practices. 
3. Identifying what is already in place. 
4. Documenting gaps or areas requiring clarification. 
5. Prioritizing immediate health, safety, participant-rights and access requirements. 
6. Developing a practical plan for changes that require more time or resources. 
7. Contacting Housing Stability Services for guidance where needed. 

Yes. Housing Stability Services will work with providers to interpret the Guidelines, discuss operational challenges, review implementation plans and identify reasonable paths forward.

The intent is to support consistent service delivery while recognizing that providers operate different programs, serve different populations and work within different physical environments.