Just four organizations bid to operate London's first homeless hubs

A man sits on Dundas Place in Downtown London, Ont. on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023 (Daryl Newcombe)/CTV News London)

Council’s options may be limited when they choose locations and lead agencies to operate the first low-barrier service hubs for Londoners experiencing homelessness.

According to a publicly available list posted on city hall’s Bids and Tenders website, nine organizations participated in a Request for Proposals (RFP) process— but only four submitted a bid.

Agencies that are bidders:

• London Health Sciences Centre
• CMHA Thames Valley- Addiction and Mental Health Services
• Atlohsa Family Healing Services
• Youth Opportunities Unlimited

The RFP closed at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept, 5.

After initially participating in the RFP process, Ark Aid Street Mission decided not to submit a bid.

Executive director Sarah Campbell tells CTV News in a statement, “We are going to remain focused on delivering basic needs including drop-in spaces, inclement weather response, and outreach services to our clients which is also part of the Health and Homelessness plan - keeping existing services running while hubs get stood up.”

Campbell adds that Ark Aid hasn’t ruled out submitting a bid during a future RFP.

Each bidder was required to secure a proposed site that meets a set of council-approved location criteria.

Properties must be zoned to permit Emergency Care Establishments, located on arterial roads, near transit, and contain an 8,000 sq.ft. to 10,000 sq.ft. building that can be quickly renovated.

“I stepped back. I did not put in a proposal,” landlord Mohamed Moussa said on Tuesday evening during a public meeting in Byron.

Moussa told city representatives during the question and answer period that he backed away from offering a property because the strategy has too many question marks.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty as to what the city is looking for, in terms of set up, in terms of what type of property,” he told CTV News after the meeting.

The city’s aggressive timelines to lease, renovate, and open hub locations by December was a challenge for some organizations that initially expressed interest in the RFP.

The addresses of proposed hubs will remain confidential until later this month when council considers approving some (or all) of the bids for funding.

The hubs are part of the estimated $247.5 million Whole of Community Response to Homelessness (up to 15 hubs, 600 supportive housing units).

Each hub is estimated to cost $2 million (capital) plus up to $2.7 million each year in operating costs.

Hubs will offer 25 to 35 beds.

The multi-use space should include a side-entry off the street, fenced private space, greenspace, commercial kitchen and laundry facilities.

Each lead agency is permitted to operate up to two hub locations.

Civic administration will evaluate the bids that were received in the coming days.

A meeting of Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee will be held on September 25 so members of city council can consider the bids.

There are two remaining public engagement sessions about the council-approved criteria for hub locations:

• Wednesday, Sept. 6, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. :East Lions Community Centre – 1731 Churchill Avenue
• Thursday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. :Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre – 656 Elizabeth Street