How London, Ont. plans to use remote golf courses as winter homeless shelters
With cold weather approaching, City Hall has finally unveiled its new plan to address unsheltered homelessness this winter.
Similar to last winter, construction trailers will be converted into heated living quarters, but the locations will be much more remote, requiring on-site resources and transportation options for residents.
“We know that where we were located last year had many benefits, but it also had many detractors,” admits Kevin Dickins, deputy city manager of Social and Health Development at City Hall.
Currently, about 120 people are living ‘unsheltered’ in tents or makeshift shelters in London.
The three-pronged strategy will provide 100 to 105 overnight spaces between December and March:
- Drop-in Spaces (0-8 hrs)
- Stabilization Spaces (24-72 hrs)
- Winter Shelter (up to 4 months)
Two temporary winter shelters housing 30-35 people each will be located at municipal golf courses.
Atlohsa Family Healing Services will operate the shelter for Indigenous people in trailers at the former River Road Golf Course near Veteran’s Memorial Parkway.
A rapid rehousing shelter for 30-35 people will also utilize construction trailers and the clubhouse at Fanshawe Golf Course in the city’s northeast corner.
“It’s not all that inviting to be homeless on main street London,” explains Dickins, when asked about the remote locations. “We know there is a group of people experiencing homelessness who want spaces that are a little more discreet than last year, more private.”
The temporary shelter spaces will operate until March 31, except for Fanshawe Golf Course which will close March 1, 2022.
“We are not bussing the homeless out of London, by any stretch of the imagination, we are creating a safe place for people to go,” asserts Dickins.
And while neither location is directly served by sidewalks or bike lanes, the city’s Director of Housing Stability Services Craig Cooper explains that last winter most residents remained in place.“We did not see a lot of individuals specifically leave the space during the day or even overnight,” Cooper says.
London Transit bus service is available at the River Road Golf Course, but does not reach Fanshawe Golf Course.
Both sites will also offer a shuttle service for residents.
“They are not stuck out there. There are resources coming to them. There are options coming to get them into the community so they won’t have to walk.”
The Winter Homelessness Response will also offer shorter stays at more central locations.
The YMCA on Waterloo Street will offer a mix of day and night shelter spaces at a new drop-in this winter.
The Canadian Mental Health Association will offer five to 10 stabilization spaces on Hamilton Road for people requiring mental health or addiction treatment as an alternative to emergency rooms or jail.
The $1.9 million winter homelessness response is funded by the provincial and federal governments.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.