[8] Until the 1990s, the shelter operated on a highly regimented basis imposing a series of rules and regulations including a ban on alcohol and requiring men to get out of bed by 5:15 am.
Seaton House provides bathing facilities, delousing, a barber, laundry and lockers[11] as well as counselling and life skills training.
[8] Over the years, the clientele changed from unemployed transients looking for what little work they could find to a population composed largely of men who have complex health, mental health and substance use issues as well as the disabled,[6] refugees and others lacking family or community support have also ended up seeking temporary respite at Seaton House.
Under the new "managed alcohol" policy, alcohol-dependent clients enrolled in the program are served one five-ounce pour of wine every 90 minutes until it is determined that an individual is too inebriated, at which point he is denied another drink.
[16] According to Dr. Tomislav Svoboda, a family physician attached to the program, it was opened as a result of the outcry that followed the deaths of three homeless alcoholics in the winter of 1995.
[18][19][20] Seaton House is blamed by some Cabbagetown residents for contributing to the deterioration of George Street and the surrounding area.
Community members allege that Seaton House does not properly supervise its residents who, they claim, can be seen on the street outside the facility dealing and smoking crack cocaine.
Toronto's director of hostel services rejects the charge of neglect saying that Seaton House and the city "work closely with Toronto Police Services to address the issue of drug dealers who may prey on the men that use the Seaton House program.
"[21] In late 2009, Toronto City Council initially approved a plan to redevelop Seaton House in partnership with Spike Capital Corp., Kearns Mancini Architects and others who own properties around the shelter, on George Street.
The plan would have seen the demolition of the current facility and the transformation of the street into a mix of commercial buildings, affordable housing, student rental properties and a redesigned shelter.