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
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'Wild, wild west.' Families say organs of deceased Alabama inmates have been removed without their consent
The state Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama at Birmingham face disturbing allegations from the families of five inmates whose organs were removed and reportedly kept without consent, according to a series of lawsuits.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.