Downtown London and OEV businesses seek $1.7 million from city hall to address impacts of homelessness

London’s homelessness crisis continues to take a toll on core area businesses by keeping customers away and driving up the cost of cleaning and security.

So city hall is being asked for financial support from the business improvement areas (BIAs) that represent downtown London and the Old East Village (OEV).

“It’ll make sure their customers feel welcome and continue to come to their stores and restaurants, so this will certainly help to enhance our downtown,” explained Barb Maly, executive director of Downtown London.

A progress report going to council about the 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 OEV).

Each organization would administer the grants themselves and focus efforts towards:

• Direct business support funding to enhance street cleaning, facade, safety improvement grants, etc.
• More feet on the street funding to support events, activations, security, etc.

The funding request stems from work by the Business Reference Table, a subcommittee of London’s Whole of Community Response to Homelessness.

“We are actually following the lead of the businesses telling us what they need,” explained Kevin Dickins, deputy city manager of health and social development. “We’re glad to bring forward the recommendation (to council) on their behalf.”

Michaelanne Hathaway of Stache Fabrics and Notions on King Street said businesses can no longer afford the additional security and clean-up costs related to the homelessness crisis.

Hathaway said before installing a roll down security gate, the front entrance to her store often required cleaning in the morning and told CTV News London, “Garbage, needles, drug paraphernalia, and sometimes other things that are not so pleasant.”

The financial support would be one-time funding from the Operating Budget Contingency Reserve Fund intended to mitigate potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the grants are approved, the reserve fund would sill have a balance of $8.7 million.

Maly said ultimately what’s needed is a long-term strategy for the core, “Something that goes beyond a four year council term. We need a 15-year or 20-year vision of what we want our core to be.”

Hathaway suggested while the funding would be granted to core area businesses, the focus would be on improving the experience for customers.

“The core area is open for business. We’re here, we’re welcoming. We really want them to come, so we are going to make them feel as comfortable as possible,” Maly said.

Council’s Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee will consider the grant request on Oct. 31.