‘Goofy’ shelter renaming idea ridiculed in shelved report

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The mayor's office shelved the 2018 report after the public rejected the idea of ​​renaming homeless shelters as, in the words of the authors, “an attempt to put a positive spin on the problem of homelessness by creating a kind of sweet euphemism.”

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The report, prepared by a pair of outside consulting firms, was presented to City Hall in May 2018 but was collecting dust until it was recently shared with City Hall. Toronto Sun.

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Consultants used focus groups and online surveys to find alternative names for homeless shelters in Toronto. Although the authors stated that the word “connect” was their “better choice” over “shelter,” this was not strong support.

“While there was no clear consensus on adopting a different word to replace 'shelter,' there were many opinions about the appropriateness or lack thereof. Those who held unfavorable opinions about the value of the name change were much more vocal than those who thought it was a good idea, simply didn't care, or had no opinion,” the report said.

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Councilman Stephen Holiday reviewed the report. He told Sun this raises some obvious questions, mainly why taxpayer money was spent on a “marketing plan” for shelters that was not used.

“I expected an advocacy group to buy it because it's more than just a name, it's a strategy to change people's thinking,” he said.

The report makes it clear that people asked seven years ago had similar thoughts about the use of city resources.

“It's stupid to try to come up with some euphemistic term to describe something that needs attention. Are you hoping people will be nicer to Toronto's homeless and disadvantaged?” asked one survey respondent.

Another countered: “You're tinkering while Rome burns. Put resources into this rebranding process and associated consultants into building housing or creating rent subsidies.”

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Another said: “Shelter is what these agencies provide. Please don't fall into the trap of political correctness by giving a vague or inaccurate name to a simple service.”

Although the authors heard arguments that the word “shelter” was “offensive” and “horrible,” they wrote, “In one community focus group, the overwhelming consensus was that the word 'shelter' was not a problem.”

“Participants in our first downtown 'client' group were particularly outspoken about how they thought it was stupid to call shelters by another name,” the report added.

“Several of them were quite emotional discussing the plight of homelessness, suggesting that the focus should be on creating job opportunities as well as improving services for people experiencing homelessness rather than renaming shelters.”

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The report does say that the word “shelter” has “few fans,” and the rebranding could “get attention, stimulate conversation, and encourage people to reconsider their own beliefs about homelessness and the value of placing 'shelters' in neighborhoods across the city.”

“That said, as many focus group participants and survey respondents made clear, any attempt to rename a homeless program that consists largely of changing the word 'shelter' and new messaging can backfire if community members and clients believe the program remains fundamentally unchanged,” it added.

The report argues that the best option is “service connectivity.” In their example, the shelter might be called “Parkdale Connect.” “Although there was no clear consensus among the client group, 'connect' or 'reconnect' resonated with many,” the report said.

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The other two acceptable options were “bridge” and “first step.” Neither was a hit.

“In focus groups and survey responses, some participants noted that the word 'bridge' is commonly used to describe services offered by various faith-based organizations. We believe this is a disqualifying factor,” the report said.

The respondent was more succinct, saying, “The Bridge House is where the trolls live.”

Meanwhile, “The First Step” was called over-the-top, cliché, indulgent and somewhat “kindergarten-like.”

The report is based on a package of dozens of shelter-related proposals that the City Council adopted unanimously in April 2017. The idea of ​​renaming took one short line.

“That’s the joy of the board system,” Holiday said. “There's so much coming at you at once that you struggle to sift through what's important and try to figure out what the problem is going to be.

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“I spent seven years trying to reverse this decision. You can see my proposals to the council.”

The report cost taxpayers $59,700 and the consultation process was widely advertised by the mayor's office. CityNews went so far as to report that the word “shelter” was “be terminated“

However, the report was postponed until Sun contacted last month. Given the lukewarm response to the rebranding, bureaucrats focused on things like shelter infrastructure, and the report “wasn't implemented” when municipal elections were held in the fall of 2018, the mayor's office said in a statement.

Holiday said it's possible, but that's not how things usually work out.

“I can’t think of a single example of quotes dying when a government term ends and the next one resumes…Many initiatives from the previous council term continue to be implemented,” he said. “All questions and directions are not disclosed suddenly.”

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But why not publish the report? “Maybe they just saw it,” Holiday suggested, “and said, 'What is this? Well, how can we use this? Why is this here? Or was this not the answer they were hoping for? I don't know”.

Holiday said that while the shelter reform package that included the renaming idea was very current (in pre-COVID Toronto the focus was on converting hotels into shelters), it remains part of the city.

“The big word that was in the 2017 discussion was the use of the word ‘involvement’ instead of ‘consultation,’” he said, perhaps foreshadowing complaints in 2025 that City Hall simply isn’t listening to concerns about shelter siting or policy.

“That’s the one decision I wish I could redo in hindsight, to be honest.”

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