‘A rough summer’: City predicts homeless encampments will increase

A frank admission about the state of homelessness in London, Ont. is fuelling urgency to launch the community’s long-term solution.

On Tuesday, council was warned by civic administration that the challenge posed this summer by tent encampments in core neighbourhoods and along the Thames River will be greater than most years.

“It’s going to be a rough summer,” admitted Deputy City Manager of Social Health and Development Kevin Dickins. “It’s going to be rougher than most summers, and most summers are really, really rough.”

Proof of the escalating number of encampments is all around the tent of a 39-year old Londoner who goes by the name “Christmas.”

His riverside tent already has plenty of neighbours.

“Seven of us on this side of the river. There’s eight more on the other side, and there would be more of us in this camp,” he told CTV News.

Over the winter, three homelessness summits brought together 70 local stakeholder organizations to develop the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness.

The strategy will create up to 15 hubs for homeless Londoners, plus highly supportive housing.

However, the first spaces won’t open until after the summer.

“We don’t have the hubs in place,” City Manager Lynne Livingstone told council. “They’re not gonna come [by] magic. The work has to be done to pull those pieces together.”

Council receives monthly progress reports, but several politicians have expressed a desire to get more involved.

The mayor admitted he has also wanted to participate more, but was convinced that the relationship between stakeholders, agencies, and the municipality is still at a delicate stage.

“That is a fragile coalition to have working together on changes that will probably transform the way they do their work,” Mayor Josh Morgan explained.

Councillors were told by Livingstone that despite their best intentions, a power differential exists between them and the stakeholder organizations who are still building trust with the city—and each other.

“Ultimately, the buck stops with us in terms of constituents holding us accountable,” acknowledged Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, “but sometimes we do have to let go of that a little bit.”

Morgan will be in Ottawa this week seeking federal funds for the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness.

He said the strength of his pitch is that London has worked to create the coalition of stakeholders, agencies, and local government.

And he may have to land a funding commitment soon.

“When will you see the first hubs? I hope this fall,” Livingstone told council. “That’s the intention that we’re working towards, and believe me; people are working as quickly as possible.”