Coming in From the Cold in Toronto
The first city-sanctioned micro dwellings are on the horizon.
The metropolis of Toronto, Canada, is a punishing place to be homeless, which is why the decision to establish its first city-sanctioned community of tiny homes for the unhoused is such heartwarming news. As Orilla Matters reports, a new, two-year pilot program will see the city supporting a new cluster of these life-saving tiny abodes, with the size of the community dependent on land available, and the non-profit developer’s program scheme.
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A Significant Policy U-Turn
Significantly, after a few years of cracking down on tiny homes sheltering the Toronto population of people forced to sleep rough, the city has undergone a policy u-turn.
It is now poised to support the first ever municipality-sanctioned micro shelter community if sufficient funds are allocated in the city’s budget process, and the city can find a charitable operator they are satisfied with.
This wish to support unhoused Torontonians became apparent in December 2025, when the City of Toronto put out a call for “expressions of interest” from nonprofits keen to establish a tiny home community within the borders of the city.
Its offer will include funding both the building of the tiny homes, as well as the staff, and support needed to enable the new community to function. This will encompass counselling and case management for residents.
As Toronto’s “Expression of Interest” callout reveals: “The City is seeking proposals from non-profit organizations interested in participating in a two-year pilot to operate a micro shelter site.”
With an extended deadline of February 19 2026, applicants are required to meet all the requirements outlined in detailed guidelines for micro-shelter operators. They also need to have experience of the provision of services for the homeless, and provide a suitable land option. Importantly, this proviso shows that the municipality expects these tiny home providers to bring the land that complies with all local zoning and other building laws, with them.
Other requirements include that the tiny homes will be furnished with a bed and storage, and equipped with electricity, including both heating and cooling capacity.
The chosen delivery organization must also supply a shared communal area for residents, including amenities such as washrooms, showers, a dining space, and private space for counselling and case management.
Expected too are indoor and outdoor spaces for pets, wireless internet access and a round-the-clock, on-site provision of helpful staff
However, the city has left the exact design of the micro shelters up to prospective developers.
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Changemaking Transitional Homes are a Huge Step-Up From Homelessness
These tiny homes are perhaps best seen as emergency transitional homes, rather than permanent ones.
As Toronto’s Expression of Interest document emphasizes, micro shelters, also called tiny shelters, sleeping cabins, or pallet shelters, are “purpose-built structures that offer private, temporary accommodations and wrap-around support services to individuals experiencing homelessness as they work toward permanent housing.”
Robert Raynor, who leads tiny home developer Two Step Home, told Toronto Today that despite his concerns about the challenge of finding suitable land on which to build these micro homes on, this city turnaround is exciting news. This is because it will cut the number of people sleeping in park encampments by providing an alternative option for people who are resistant to living in shelters.
He points out that around 15,000 people are homeless in Toronto each night. Raynor plans to submit an application to deliver a micro shelter pilot project for a community with 50 homes and shared amenities.
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As the organization’s website explains “We’re working to build temporary cabin communities, to help unhoused people break the cycle of homelessness.”
Tiny Tiny Homes, another tiny home nonprofit started by a former homeless changemaker, Ryan Donais, is comprised of volunteer architects, engineers, carpenters, and retired public servants. Donais recently shared with City News that the organization also plans to apply. As this nonprofit’s mission statement explains: “When shelters are full, people are left outside in the cold. Tiny Tiny Homes designs and builds portable emergency shelters that offer warmth, safety, and dignity to our unhoused neighbours.” Community support is enabling the organization to build safer alternatives to tent encampments.
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