Toronto, Ontario
Street Health
Expanding Service Capacity to Meet Increased Demand
Requested amount: $127,050
This project has been fully funded – thank you for your support!
The Challenge
Since the closure of six of Toronto’s Supervised Consumption Sites in April 2025, Street Health has seen a 16% increase in visits to its service, an 8x increase in its community overdose calls, and increased overdoses directly outside its premises among individuals who are waiting to get in. As remaining sites in the vicinity prepare to close their doors on June 13 due to funding cuts, Street Health expects pressure on its site to increase exponentially. The changing drug supply – which includes substances such as tranquilizers and benzodiazepines – requires longer, more complex medical intervention that make onsite overdose prevention services even more critical.
The Approach
Street Health’s overdose prevention site (OPS) currently operates from two safe use booths 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Given the increased number of site visitors and the fact that use is heightened in the evenings, Street Health is seeking funds to double its service capacity, including adding two new booths (for a total of four) and adding a 12-8pm staff shift.
What Success Looks Like
Street Health believes that they will serve more individuals inside their OPS, save more lives, and connect more people to the care they need. Impact measures include:
- Number of visits to the OPS, including the number hosted during the expanded hours
- Number of overdoses responded to in the OPS
- Reduction in overdoses occurring immediately outside the premises
- Amount of harm reduction equipment distributed
- Number of referrals to healthcare and social services
- Number of visitors who are linked to Street Health’s wraparound services, including primary care, wound care, case management, mental health, and drug checking.
Project Timeline
Street Health can hire the necessary staff to implement the new hours within 2-3 weeks of receiving funds. They will track data over an initial 3-month period to learn how this model works and inform future iterations.
Funding Need
$42,350 per month for a total of $127,050 over three months. Note: Street Health relies on private funding for the ongoing operations of its overdose prevention site, and can put any additional money raised towards core site funding.
Budget available upon request
If you’d like to support or reach out with any questions about this project, please contact:
Chaudhry Ahmed
chaudhry@streethealth.ca