Downtown East Action Plan

The Downtown East 2023 Action Plan has been developed to address several complex challenges in the area related to poverty, homelessness, housing, community safety, mental health and substance use, particularly opioid-related overdoses.

Implementation of the 12-month plan began in June 2018. The five-year Action Plan called Downtown East 2023 Action Plan, was approved by City Council in July 2019 to address community needs.

Needs in the area include many issues that require collaboration between sectors and across governments such as supportive housing, crisis intervention, services for all community members including people who are homeless and actions to address safety concerns in the area.

Implementation of the five-year Action Plan began in July 2019 with four central outcomes in place:

Safe, inclusive communities
Cross-sectoral trust and collaboration
Stability for people experiencing marginalization
Model for a City response to complex issues

The Downtown East area is bounded by Bloor Street on the north, Front Street on the south, Bay Street on the west, and the Don Valley Parkway on the east, including an expansion up to 21 Park Rd, north of Bloor due to the respite site at that location.

The Downtown East 12-month Action Plan ran from June 2018 to June 2019. A number of actions from the 12-month plan will continue as part of the Downtown East 2023 Action Plan.

Highlights of actions:

Enhanced street and laneway cleaning including in the area by Solid Waste Management Services and Transportation Services.
Enhanced staffing resources for Parks Ambassadors and Parks Cleaning.
Enhanced outreach resources through additional staff at Toronto Public Health, The Works.
Training for City and community agency staff on de-escalation, suicide prevention, and mental health.
Continuation of the Downtown East Focus Table and Community Safety Networks in Dundas Sherbourne, Church Wellesley, Regent Park and St. James Town.
Continued connections with residents, residents associations, BIAs and other stakeholders to access information and supportive trainings.
Tracking of new public realm developments in the DTE to identify points of integration where enhancements can contribute to outcomes of the Action Plan.