City praises owner of former radio station for seeking to rezone it for a homeless hub— urges others to follow

London’s Deputy City Manager of Social and Health Development said the former radio station at 743 Wellington Rd. is one potential site for a service hub— and he wants to see even more property owners step up.

“Ideally that’s what we want, is more property owners across the city coming forward with spaces that would be suitable for hubs,” Kevin Dickins told CTV News.

Dickins explained that the city doesn’t currently have the dollars necessary to operate a third hub, but work is ongoing to secure new funding or redirect existing funding to open additional locations.

“We’re going to move as quick as possible because the urgency is high in terms of bringing more hubs online as fast as possible,” he said. “We are looking to finalize that process.”

A city-led procurement process later this year will allow property owners and agencies to submit plans to operate new low-barrier service hubs.

The Whole of Community Response to Homelessness is a council-endorsed strategy to create 600 highly supportive housing units and up to 15 low-barrier service hubs to address the homelessness crisis.

Service hubs will offer a range of basic services and provide an opportunity for individuals to stabilize before entering supportive housing.

Last summer, the city struggled to find buildings that met location criteria and had willing landlords.

The council-approved criteria includes a requirement that hubs not be in close proximity to certain land uses including childcares, schools, and parks.

Dickins admitted that the city needs to be more clear with its definition of “close proximity.”

There is no criteria limiting the proximity of one hub to another hub.

Only a short distance from London’s first two hubs (Victoria Hospital and the Parkwood Institute), some neighbours of 743 Wellington Rd. worry it would create a cluster of hubs in the area and worsen the challenges they’re already experiencing.

Dickins sees it differently, “You have a number of social challenges going on in your neighbourhood and there’s a lack of services to address it, to help it, to solve it. So bringing services on site might actually alleviate the [concerns about] people that are lingering and loitering outdoors, and sleeping outside.”

He added that the rezoning application to permit a hub was submitted by the property owner independent of the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness.

A justification letter by the property owner’s planning consultant states, “It is our professional opinion that the location of the proposed uses within the existing building will not result in any significant undue impacts to the surrounding neighbourhood and proximate land uses.”

“I think it’s really commendable that there’s a private property owner that wants to be involved in the hubs and housing business in order to help people that are vulnerable in our community,” said Dickins.

A public participation meeting about the proposed rezoning is scheduled for May 22 in front of the Planning and Environment Committee.