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The shelter is just steps away from another shelter — the Doors of Compassion, which is run by the Christian Faith Outreach Centre.

 in an effort to provide more shelter leading up to the winter months.

Collier shared his concerns with two representatives from the Region of Durham who presented an update on the situation to council on Jan. 20.

The region is responsible for the homelessness profile and works with organizations, municipalities and Durham Regional Police on the complex file.

Council heard that according to the Durham Region , there were 167 homeless individuals living in Ajax in December.

The actual number could be larger than that, since those on the list must consent to being included. 

Collier said it appears that the more services are in place, the more people are attracted to that community.

“Or shelters are established where the demand is,” responded Lisa McIntosh, the region’s director of income, employment and homelessness supports.

Collier pointed out there are more homeless individuals in Ajax than Pickering and Clarington, communities that don’t have shelters.

“Do some people come for services? Yes,” McIntosh said. “But are the high attraction numbers necessarily because Ajax has attracted all of those individuals from the other communities? No.”

She said the region is able to collect better data in Ajax than in some other communities due to several organizations collecting it. Other communities have only been onboarded with similar data collection in the last 12 months and those numbers will increase in the coming months, she added.

Sahar Foroutani, the region’s manager of the homelessness service system, income, employment and homelessness supports, said homelessness is a growing global issue affecting most cities.

“However, the problem has become particularly noticeable in Ajax over the past four years,” she added.

The increase is due to factors such as an affordable housing shortage, mental health challenges, substance use, family breakdown, domestic violence and personal crises.

Foroutani said regional leaders continue to advocate for more investment in deeply affordable housing, outreach programs and mental health services.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp increase in homelessness in Durham Region.

“We started with 209 in 2021,” she said. “To the end of December 2024, it has increased to 787. Of that 787, 80 per cent of those individuals have mid to high equity.”

That means it takes much longer to address the needs of these individuals.

Demographics for Ajax

• 26 per cent are female
• 73 per cent are male
• 1 per cent identifies as other
• 74.3 per cent are aged 25-59
• 9.6 per cent are aged 16-24
• 16.1 per cent are 60 and up
• 4.2 per cent are Indigenous
• 3 per cent are veterans
• 93 per cent were single

operates the temporary shelter on Station Street. The region leases the shelter from the Town of Ajax. The CFOC also operates the Doors of Compassion for people 18 and older.

Ajax is also home to the nearby Durham Youth Services shelter for those aged 16 to 24, located on Kings Crescent.

New this year, the Ajax Hub, also located in the Ajax Plaza, is open 24 hours, effective to the end of March. is also run by the CFOC and provides meals and showers, income support, addiction support, health care and more.

The region also has its own outreach team that Foroutani said “is very active in the Ajax community.’

The team connects homeless individuals to health care, shelter and other services.

“The outreach team does respond to inquires on a 24/7 schedule,” said McIntosh.

Other services include a mental health outreach program and a primary care outreach program.

The Ajax Hub is in the wrong place, said Ward 1 Regional Coun. Marilyn Crawford.

“I’m not asking for you to move it out of Ajax but The Hub in the mall is causing more problems,” she said.

Crawford said she hears concerns from the business community, in the Ajax. She recalled a situation where a manager was physically threatened.

“I went to see them and they were visibly shaking and crying and are frustrated because they feel their voice no (longer) matters,” she said. “The hub is in the wrong place.”

Crawford, who said she understands the rights of the unsheltered, wanted to point out the concerns of the business community.

Other councillors asked if the Station Street shelter will be renewed in 2027, when the lease is up.

McIntosh said she understands the town does not wish to renew it, but the region would be open to look at extending it, among other options.

Visit for a further look at the homelessness situation in Ajax in the future.