Evaluating Toronto’s Supportive Housing Programs

Supportive housing combines permanent, affordable housing with individualized services. It supports people who may need help to maintain their housing and live independently, including many who have experienced chronic homelessness or face mental health, substance use, disability, health, or age-related support needs.

Since 2020, the City of Toronto has expanded its role in creating, funding and overseeing supportive housing. This work contributes to the HousingTO 2020–2030 Action Plan, which includes a target of approving 18,000 new supportive homes by 2030. As the City’s portfolio grows, it needs reliable evidence to understand whether supportive housing programs are reaching the people they are intended to serve, helping them obtain housing, and supporting them to remain housed over time. Beyond these core outcomes, the City also needs to understand which program models are working well, how effectively supports are delivered, and how to plan and manage a growing portfolio to meet different levels of tenant need.

The City engaged Blueprint in January 2025 to conduct one of the first external evaluations of its newer supportive housing programs. The evaluation focuses on two City-administered models: Permanent Supportive Housing, covering 902 units across 20 sites and a range of housing and support models, and the Rapid Rehousing Initiative, which combines permanent rent-geared-to-income housing with time-limited follow-up supports.

Blueprint designed the evaluation to examine supportive housing from tenant, program, and system perspectives. We examined who the programs reach and whether tenants remain housed; tenants’ experiences of their housing, supports, quality of life, and safety; how people are matched to housing and supports; how providers respond as tenant needs change; and how supportive housing connects with health, long-term care, and other community services. The evaluation supports the City in making evidence-informed decisions about how to deliver supportive housing effectively and efficiently, including how to strengthen program design, service delivery, and resource allocation as its portfolio grows.

Answering these questions requires bringing together evidence that sits across different parts of the housing and homelessness system. Blueprint analyzed multiple City administrative and program datasets, including housing, shelter, eligibility, occupancy, and provider information. We combined this analysis with direct engagement with supportive housing tenants and frontline providers, a provider survey, document and evidence reviews and comparator research. We triangulated findings across these sources to understand where evidence converges, where experiences differ, and where important information gaps remain.

A key part of the work is considering how evaluation can support ongoing performance measurement and learning. As Toronto’s supportive housing responsibilities expand, Blueprint examined how more consistent and connected information could help the City follow tenant journeys over time, understand changing needs and supports, compare program models,  and turn program data into actionable insights about portfolio-wide performance.

This evaluation demonstrates how Blueprint combines housing and social services sector knowledge, an expert grasp of how civil society and government share responsibilities, and rigorous mixed-methods analysis to understand a complex system and translate evidence into practical advice. The work will give the City a stronger foundation for improving supportive housing delivery and making informed portfolio decisions as its role and responsibilities continue to grow.

Research and resources

·         VIDEO: “Supportive Housing Evaluation: Preliminary Findings”: Blueprint’s presentation to Toronto’s Housing Rights Advisory Committee

·         Project findings and resources will be shared here if they become publicly available.