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Since 1982 more than 1,000 homeless families in Toronto have had a temporary home at the Red Door while they got back on their feet. Women and children fleeing violence, refugees and other families needing safe, supportive housing in an emergency have found it here. Our focus over the last year was on strengthening the foundation upon which the Red Door is built so that we can continue to improve the quality of support services provided to families and individuals who come through our doors. We are pleased to report here on our top three accomplishments: First, our 50-bed shelter for abused women was relocated to a safer, more secure location with a large backyard in which the children can play. It is situated in a residential neighbourhood with easy access to public transit. The past year also saw the completion of our efforts to bring the Shelter operations into compliance with the City of Toronto’s new Shelter Standards. One of those standards, the space standard, had a dramatic impact on our operations. It requires that each client in a shelter be provided with a minimum sleeping area of 3.5 square meters with 75 centimeters between each bed. That particular standard meant that one of our shelters was no longer financially viable and in the fall of 2006 we closed that location. This very difficult restructuring process was completed last year. We are now operating 120 beds at our Family Shelter location, down from the previous 195 beds over three sites and we have a Family Shelter that is fully compliant with the new space standards. “Women and children This past year the Red Door established its Moving Program that connects the generosity in the community with the many families who come through our doors. The Shelter now has a truck that is used to pick up gently used household furnishings. We store these donated items in a small warehouse space until a family moves at which time we can provide them with the critical pieces of furniture they need to furnish their new homes. We are able to give them beds so they don’t have to sleep on the floor. We are able to give them tables and chairs so they can eat at home in dignity and be together as a family. It is through the Moving Program that we are able to offer a small but significant boost to mothers and their children who are starting over.
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