How We Help
Shelter Services
A place to sleep, a nourishing meal and a hot shower - at Florence Booth House, tending to women’s basic needs is one of the most important parts of our work.
Basic Needs
Women often arrive at Florence Booth House with the clothes they are wearing and little else. So the first step is to provide them with clean clothes, hygiene products and a hot shower. We ensure that all clients’ basic needs are met for as long as they require support. This includes access to our Salvation Army Thrift Store where they can get any clothing they need free of charge. We also provide onsite laundry.
Shelter Beds
Florence Booth House has 64 shelter beds in a dormitory-style setting. We provide blankets and linens which are laundered once a week by Gateway Linens, a social enterprise which employs individuals from The Salvation Army’s Gateway Shelter for men experiencing homelessness. Along with a bed, each client gets a locker for the safekeeping of her belongings.
Meals
Florence Booth House provides each client with breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon and evening snacks. Meals are planned with clients’ food preferences in mind in alignment with the Canada Food Guide. We also provide bagged lunches for women who work offsite.
Our Programs
Case Management
Florence Booth House provides support for those who require it on case-by-case basis. Our team meets with each client to assess her immediate needs and then helps connect her with an income source, housing, addiction support – whatever her individual needs may be.
Life Skills Group
A weekly Life Skills Group is facilitated by a Counsellor with help from the Women’s Own Withdrawal Management Centre and is open to all clients. They cover a variety of topics including budgeting, healthy relationships, and anger management skills. Community outings are also arranged such as a trips to the AGO or picnics in the park to encourage friendships and foster community reintegration.
Community Follow Up
Florence Booth House provides Community Follow-Up support for women who require assistance reintegrating into the community when they have secured permanent housing. We can provide follow-up support for up to 12 months, customized to their need. This includes helping women become familiar with their new community and any support necessary to ensure that they do not return to homelessness.
Finding a Permanent Home
Once we have addressed a client’s immediate needs, we connect her with a Housing Worker who helps find permanent housing and who advocates on her behalf with landlords. The Housing Worker will assist in viewing different options, completing tenant applications and managing her budget. The discussion of permanent housing starts with intake and carries on throughout the client’s time at Florence Booth House.
Addictions Support
In connection with Salvation Army Harbour Light Ministries, Florence Booth House staffs an onsite, twice-weekly Addictions and Concurrent Disorder Counsellor to provide client’s with addiction-specific supports. This is available through one-on-one discussion, weekly addiction-focused groups and if necessary, referrals to further resources.
Nursing Support
Florence Booth House offers clients twice-weekly access to a community health nurse who provides medical care to those who may need it. Clients do not require a health card to visit the nurse and the appointments are completely confidential. The nurse can dress wounds, monitor blood pressure, provide prescription information, test blood sugar and make referrals to doctors.
Community Resources
Florence Booth House is part of the larger Salvation Army community. But, it is also a vital part of a family of care in the Queen/Bathurst neighbourhood. With our partners we endeavour to provide our clients with everything they need to get back on their feet. Our community partners include:
Toronto Housing and Homeless Supports (THHS)
The Salvation Army in Toronto operates six shelters for people experiencing homelessness. Florence Booth House is one of these six shelters providing basic needs for food, shelter and clothing, as well as pastoral care, addictions counselling and housing help. Other THHS shelters include:
