Our History
Inner City Family Health Team (ICFHT) began as a small group of dedicated physicians who came together in 2006 to provide care for the residents of Seaton House, the largest homeless shelter in Toronto.
Originally called the Seaton House Family Health team and located within the shelter, the team served a population of men who have complex health, mental health, substance use issues, disability, and experience social isolation.
2021
ICFHT and Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) launched the Substance Use Hub (SubHub) in late 2021 to address the ongoing under-resourced substance use and overdose crisis among Toronto's homeless and previously homeless population. This initiative was started without dedicated program funding, through in-kind support from ICHA and ICFHT.
2023
In April 2023, our SubHub program was awarded two-year funding through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addiction Program. This funding allowed us to expand its reach, hours and support staff. In 2025, 95 individuals were regular clients of the SubHub. SubHub clients have access to life-saving health care, peer support, counselling and case management, provided by a multidisciplinary and compassionate team of physicians, nurses, social workers and peers trained in addictions medicine, harm reduction, and trauma-informed care.
Today
Today, ICFHT has grown into a multidisciplinary team of 29 employees, who together demonstrate ongoing passion and expertise in serving a diverse patient population with challenging needs.
2011
In 2011, the Family Health Team was renamed the Inner City Family Health Team and relocated to our own clinic at 69 Queen St. East, near Seaton House.
2016
In 2016, ICFHT partnered with the City of Toronto, St. Michael's/CAMH, Community Living Toronto, and Surrey Place to launch the Bridges to Housing Project, funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. The initiative aimed to identify homeless individuals with developmental disabilities to provide primary care, case management, and housing support. All 25 participants were successfully housed, many transitioning to more independent living over the years. This marked ICFHT's first formal collaboration with other agencies to support a subgroup of the homeless population.
It also led to funding for the Connecting the Dots program in 2018, which placed neuropsychologists in shelters to conduct rapid-assessments for developmental delays or cognitive impairments. Those identified were connected to relevant financial and service supports, including the Developmental Services of Ontario.
2020
In 2020, we expanded our mandate to provide support to any adult who has experienced or is currently facing homelessness in Toronto. Our services are available to all genders, ensuring that anyone affected by the impacts of poverty and homelessness on their physical and mental health can access support through ICFHT.
2020 was also the start of the Here 2 Help (H2H) Mobile De-Escalation Team. H2H provides crisis intervention and de-escalation support for the Church-Wellesley and Moss Park neighbourhoods. This multi-agency initiative brought together Gerstein Crisis Centre, The Neighbourhood Group, Dixon Hall, Homes First, and Seeds of Hope to provide comprehensive and integrated care that addresses the unique needs of the Downtown East Toronto Neighbourhood.
