The objective of the Street Needs Assessment (SNA) is to determine the services that people who are homeless need in order to help them find and keep permanent housing. It is also to determine the number of people who are homeless and living on Toronto’s streets and in its public spaces, or staying in shelters, health and treatment facilities and in correctional facilities for the purpose of assessing the location, scale and dimension of service needs, and in planning appropriate program responses.

Toronto’s first Street Needs Assessment was conducted on April 19, 2006. On the evening of April 15, 2009 the City’s second Street Needs Assessment was conducted using a consistent, statistically valid methodology to ensure that results would be comparable to those in 2006. The enumeration methodology and survey design were developed in 2006 through extensive research and consultation with experts from other jurisdictions, as well as with a range of local stakeholders.

As in 2006, the 2009 Street Needs Assessment was made possible through the partnership of a wide range of individuals, community agencies, City Divisions and provincial ministries, who contributed their time and effort to provide an up to date and comprehensive picture of homelessness in the City of Toronto. In particular, the 2009 Street Needs Assessment would not have been possible without the participation of more than 450 volunteers, along with 278 team leaders, who made it a success. With an overall response rate of almost 40%, people who were homeless in the City of Toronto once again took the opportunity to have their voices heard.