Copy-cat grant requests from more business districts reeling from London’s homelessness crisis

Two people sit on the sidewalk on Dundas Street in the Old East Village BIA in this undated photo. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)

A request by core area Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) to address the impacts of homelessness triggered similar requests from some other parts of the city.

An update regarding council’s Whole of Community Response to Homelessness includes a request for $1.66 million to support several BIA initiatives ($1.16 million for Downtown London plus $500,000 for the Old East Village).

Each organization would administer the grants themselves and focus efforts towards

• Direct Business Support Funding to enhance street cleaning, facade, and safety improvement grants, etc.
• More Feet on the Street Funding to support events, activations, security, etc.

On Tuesday, council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee considered three subsequent requests from BIAs that feel they are equally deserving.

Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis and Coun. Hadleigh McAlister made a pitch for $250,000 on behalf of the Argyle BIA and the Hamilton Road BIA.

“We are increasingly seeing the impacts in the east end business improvement areas as well,” explained Lewis.

One-time grants for the four core area and east end BIAs were supported by the committee.

The financial support will come from the Operating Budget Contingency Reserve Fund which is intended to mitigate potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However a fifth grant request for $125,000, brought forward by Coun. Corrine Rahman on behalf of the Hyde Park BIA failed to receive enough votes from the committee.

Several councillors implied that the impacts of homelessness in northwest London are less acute than in the other business districts.

The committee also recommended offering seats on the Business Reference Table for the Whole of Community Response to Homelessness to all of the city’s BIAs.

Council will make final decisions about the grants and expansion of the Business Reference Table on Nov. 7.