‘Doing so would close SafeSpace entirely’: Councillor talks redirecting funds from women’s drop-in centre

A sudden rise in the number of Londoners living in homeless encampments this month sparked a lengthy debate at city hall about how best to spend limited funding.

Specifically, Councillor Susan Stevenson asked why money is being spent to open SafeSpace London, Ont.’s brand new shelter when existing overnight spaces were recently discontinued because funding expired.

“Why would we fund a new organization to start up with both capital, training, and staffing for a temporary response?” Councillor Stevenson asked during Wednesday’s meeting of the Community and Protective Services Committee.

She added that the impact of the funding might be maximized by reopening spaces at established shelters that stopped offering beds on March 31 when the Winter Response program ended.

“There are organizations that are capable and ready to provide more service for less dollars,” Stevenson continued.

In November, the women’s shelter sought $650,000 from the city’s Winter Response to provide 20 beds and a 24/7 drop-in.

However, securing a location and hiring staff has slowed the roll out— and some of the funding has gone unspent.

Since opening last month, SafeSpace has offered afternoon and evening drop-ins for women.

Kevin Dickins, deputy city manager of Social and Health Development, warned the council committee that redirecting funds away from the start-up to existing shelters would have immediate consequences for women experiencing homelessness.

“Doing so would be closing SafeSpace entirely. So, no daytime (spaces), no showers, no nothing,” Dickins explained.

“I’m completely uncomfortable,” said Councillor Elizabeth Peloza. “We’re sitting here talking about defunding organizations who just got funding to ramp up, put beds, train staff, put out job postings, renovate a space.”

London Cares oversees the distribution of Winter Response funding.

Executive Director Anne Armstrong explained that SafeSpace serves an especially vulnerable population that requires a women-only space.

That’s not available at other shelters.

“SafeSpace serves a very unique and very marginalized population, and it takes specialized expertise to be able to provide that service,” she added.

The committee did not support an amendment that would have asked the Action and Accountability Working Group to consider shifting funds from SafeSpace to existing overnight shelters.

Armstrong suggested that defunding SafeSpace would not maximize the effectiveness of the limited funds available from the city.

“Talk about inefficiency, you’d have to roll all that back. To me that does not make good use of money,” said Armstrong.