About Toronto Hostels Training Centre

The inquest into the deaths of Eugene Upper, Irwin Anderson and Mirsalah-Aldin Kopani in June and July 1996, concluded that areas which needed improvement in some hostels were:

• Staff interaction with service users

• Opportunities for an exchange of ideas and practices among hostel staff

To address these concerns as well as develop basic relevant universal staff training. The Toronto Hostels Training Centre was established on September 18, 1997. Federally incorporated on November 20, 2000 and a registered charity since January 1, 2001, the Training Centre originated as a partnership between the City of Toronto Hostels Services Division and the Ontario Association of Hostels (OAH) – Toronto Chapter.

The Toronto Hostels Training Centre offers practical, financially accessible training curriculum for hostel/shelter staff, managers, volunteers, students in job placements and agency board members. The Training Centre produces two calendars annually, providing over 120 workshops in a wide range of subject areas including:

• Standardized and specialized training for those working with homeless individuals and families;

• Upgrading working skills for hostel/shelter staff;  

• Standardized training for Standards and Guidelines, First Aid, CPR, WHMIS ;  

• Crisis Intervention Training and Food Handler Certification;

• Innovative education for recognized needs and trends:

  1. Hostel Training Centre Certificate (HTCC)  

  2. Children's Issues Training Certificate (CITC)  

  3. Children's Youth Issues Training Certificate (YITC)

  4. Hostels Training Centre Certificate For Supervisors/Managers (HTCCSM)  

The Toronto Hostels Training Centre is pleased to present another series of leading edge training opportunities for hostel/shelter staff and individuals who work with the homeless population. In addition to the development of the certificate programs, there are many new and exciting topics based on feedback and training suggestions received from various agencies and participants.

We value your input. Please contact us if you have any comments or suggestions on how we can further meet your individual and/or agency needs.