The City of Toronto is the new owner of 720 Bathurst St., the former Annex location of the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), The Grind has learned.
In an emailed statement, the City says it plans to “create a shelter that will provide essential services and supports to help Indigenous people experiencing homelessness work toward permanent housing.”
The shelter is planned to open in 2028 or 2029 with capacity for around 80 people, offering 24 hour services. It is one of several new shelter sites being developed as part of Toronto’s Homelessness Services Capital Infrastructure Strategy.
“The City is committed to working with the local community to support the success of the site. A community meeting will be held early in the new year and details will be posted shortly,” the online notice reads.
“According to the 2024 Street Needs Assessment, a point-in-time count and survey of people experiencing homelessness, Indigenous people represent 3% of Toronto’s population – yet account for 9% of people experiencing homelessness. Although the City funds a number of Indigenous shelter programs, there are currently no shelters that provide Indigenous-specific services for adults in University-Rosedale.”
The City paid $16 million for the 36,000 square foot building. They have not yet indicated what changes will be made to the property.
In August, CSI CEO Tonya Surman wrote in an announcement about the sale, “we are thrilled to announce that 720 Bathurst has been purchased by an anonymous social purpose entity committed to preserving the building and land in service to our fellow humans.”
CSI put the building up for sale in 2023 following years of low occupancy during the pandemic. High interest rates added to the difficulty of keeping up with mortgage payments and undertaking renovations to the old building. It was constructed in 1920 and does not have heritage designation.
CSI operated 720 Bathurst St. for 15 years as a co-working and event space with shared and private office space for dozens of organizations, including The Grind from 2022 to 2025 and this author at various times since 2015.
Once operating four locations — three in Toronto and one in New York City — CSI has consolidated operations to the building it owns at 192 Spadina Ave., just north of Queen Street.
UPDATE, Dec 7, 2025: The purchase price has now been added to the article.
This article appeared in the 2026 Feb/Mar issue.
