Tonight

Need a shelter bed in Toronto tonight? Call 416-338-4766.

If you have nowhere to sleep in Toronto tonight, this is who to call. The line is open 24 hours.

Call now

Central Intake, 24 hours a day1.

416-338-4766Toronto 1-877-338-3398Toll free 311Also reaches Central Intake

Central Intake refers callers to emergency shelter and 24-hour respite, and to housing programs1. If there is no bed open that meets your needs when you call, ask the caseworker to take your number. They will call you back if space comes up1.

211, for everything else

2-1-124 hours, call or text 1-877-330-3213Toll free

A person answers 2-1-1 around the clock, in more than 150 languages. You can text 2-1-1 any time. Live chat runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. They connect people to food, health, legal and community supports3.

Warming Centres

Walk in. No call needed.

The City activates Warming Centres when Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts minus five degrees Celsius, or issues a winter weather event warning. They open at 5 p.m. on the day they are activated and stay open 24 hours until the City closes them. Adults, all genders. Pet-friendly. You do not need to call Central Intake first, and walk-ins are welcome2.

Warming Centre	Spaces
81 Elizabeth St.	75
349 George St.	30
885 Scarborough Golf Club Rd.	68
12 Holmes Ave., North York	46
136 Spadina Rd.	22

Two more open at minus 15:

Surge site	Spaces
Cecil Community Centre, 58 Cecil St.	30
Jimmie Simpson Recreation Centre, 870 Queen St. E.	30

If you get to a Warming Centre and it is full, the City will help with transportation to another one that has space2.

Last winter, Warming Centres ran from November 15, 2025 to April 15, 2026. The City posts each year’s plan in the fall4.

Helping someone

What to do if it is not you.

Ask first. Ask what they need before you hand over anything or make a call for them.

If they want a bed, call Central Intake at 416-338-4766 with them, or stay nearby while they call1.

Worried about someone sleeping outside? Call 311 and describe where they are. It reaches the same City service, 24 hours1.

Call 911 when a person is unresponsive, or when you do not think they will get through the night where they are.

Bringing something over: dry socks, water, a blanket. Ask before you leave it.

311Someone sleeping outside 911Unresponsive, or in danger tonight

About this page

Who put this page up.

Engage and Change is a Toronto charity. Every January since 1999, volunteers have packed winter survival kits, and the kits go out to more than 200 front-line agencies across the GTA5. We do not run shelters, and we are not who you call tonight.

What goes into a kit Volunteer

Questions

Before you go.

Do I need ID?

Warming Centres are walk-in, and the City’s page does not list ID as a requirement2. If you are calling Central Intake for a shelter bed, tell the worker what you have on you1.

Can I bring my dog?

Yes, to a Warming Centre. All five sites are pet-friendly2. If you are calling for a shelter bed, say you have a dog so Central Intake can look for a space that takes one1.

What if the shelter is full?

Ask the caseworker to take your number. They will call you back if a space opens1. If a Warming Centre is at capacity, the City helps with transportation to another one with space2.

Is it free?

Yes. You are not charged for the call or for a space.

Sources

City of Toronto, Central Intake. toronto.ca Central Intake.
City of Toronto, Warming Centres. toronto.ca Warming Centres.
211 Ontario. 211ontario.ca.
City of Toronto, 2025/2026 Winter Services Plan. News release, November 7, 2025. toronto.ca news release.
Engage and Change. Project Winter Survival program figures, as of September 2026. Project Winter Survival.

Numbers and addresses checked September 16, 2026.