Conestoga huts back up for discussion as homeless shelters reach capacity
The idea was rejected by city council two-and-a-half years ago, but an agency addressing street level homelessness said Conestoga huts and tiny houses need to be given an opportunity in London.
“It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution when moving from homelessness to permanent housing, but some people do require those stepping stones,” said Sarah Campbell, executive director at Ark Aid Street Mission.
A pilot project is taking shape behind the agency’s building on Dundas Street.
An employee constructed a Conestoga hut to live in alongside two yet-to-be occupied tiny homes designed and built by London developer Andy Spriet.
Inside a tiny house located behind Ark Aid Street Mission in London, Ont. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)“We hope to continue that research and share information with the city as we go,” explained Campbell. “We’re asking for their permission to do it, and of course we need community support dollars because we are not funded for this.”
From the municipality’s perspective, questions about the pilot project will likely focus on the building code, fire safety, zoning and access to social services.
In February 2020, on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, Councillor Michael van Holst and Councillor Shawn Lewis called for a small pilot project of Conestoga huts for Londoners living unsheltered.
However, city council rejected the proposal after civic administration recommended focusing on more permanent solutions to homelessness.
Since then, the number of Londoners experiencing homelessness has swelled to almost 1,900, almost a third completely unsheltered.
Inside a tiny house located behind Ark Aid Street Mission in London, Ont. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)The city’s 300 shelter spaces routinely fill to capacity — unable to meet demand.
Lewis remains optimistic that tiny houses could offer another option to the unsheltered.
“I hope that when this sort of pilot is complete, the results are shared with us so we can consider this going forward,” Lewis said.
“We’re always willing to partner agencies in the right situation. We have spoken with Ark Aid and know they are sort of operating their pilot currently,” Director of Housing Security Craig Cooper told city council earlier this week.
Ark Aid Street Mission has not set a date to launch the pilot project but intends to have the two tiny homes occupied as soon as possible.
Lewis said much has changed since the pandemic exacerbated the housing crisis.
“There’s a willingness again to try something that even three years ago people weren’t willing to try,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.