Health and Homelessness in London

Whole of Community System Response

London is facing an urgent health and homelessness crisis.

To address this crisis, a collective of community experts across sectors have designed a system response that is a first of its kind in London, and unique in Ontario. This group includes more than 200 individuals representing nearly 70 local organizations in community health and social services, institutional healthcare, education, emergency services, business and economic development, land and housing development and multiple levels of government.

The Whole of Community System Response will support the entire community – those who are most marginalized, those working in the system, and those trying to provide support, including businesses and community members who also experience the impacts of this crisis.

See below for information on the three Council-endorsed plans being implemented. View frequently asked questions to learn more about the response.

Community Encampment Response Plan

Community engagement sessions were held on Tuesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 23 to share information on a proposed plan for pathways from encampments to housing. Thank you to the nearly 200 attendees for taking time to join the discussion and share feedback.

The proposed framework of the plan for pathways from encampments to housing was developed by the Whole of Community System Response’s Encampment Implementation Table and outlines a long-term strategy for supporting individuals by helping them move from encampments to safe, secure indoors spaces, including hubs and highly supportive housing. Included in this proposed plan is a focus on:

Transformational outreach - case management provided to individuals living with complex needs to help them access services and navigate the larger system within London, allowing them to move out of encampments and into shelters, hubs, or highly supportive housing.
Transactional outreach rooted in a human rights approach to meeting basic needs.
Encampment protocols, which will guide partners when supporting and managing encampments.

The engagement sessions included a presentation explaining the three above components of the proposed plan and the process for the plan’s development, followed by a formal question-and-answer period. Then, attendees were encouraged to share additional feedback with staff and sector partners in breakout discussions.

Specifically, attendees were asked to give feedback on the encampment protocols identified in the proposed plan outlining how we support and manage encampments, including:

Locations identified in the plan as areas where a rapid enforced closure protocol is implemented: Do you agree with these planned approaches? Are there other physical areas of concern? Please tell us why or why not.
Health and safety considerations for people temporarily living in encampments and the surrounding area: What are your thoughts on these considerations? Is there anything we are missing?

Feedback collected informed the final Community Encampments Response Plan reviewed and endorsed by Council.

View materials shared at the events:

Hubs

The Whole of Community System Response includes a new network of multiple, purpose-designed locations offering comprehensive services to help the most marginalized unhoused Londoners move safely indoors, stabilize, access supports and become sustainably housed. Following Council endorsement of the Hubs Implementation Plan in July 2023, the City began a competitive procurement process to identify lead agencies and proposed locations for the first five Hubs.

Engagement opportunities on London’s Whole of Community System Response to the health and homelessness crisis continued at the end of August, giving Londoners more opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback on the Hubs Implementation Plan. Residents could attend one of five in-person sessions taking place between August 30 and September 7. Feedback was also collected through this webpage.

A report was then prepared by the City about health and homelessness and the procurement process to identify lead agencies to operate Hubs. The report can be reviewed online.

The report was discussed at a Special Meeting of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee on September 25 and then at a Council meeting on October 5, 2023. At this Council meeting, London City Council approved the first three Hubs, marking a significant leap forward in addressing the health and homelessness crisis. The approval of these first Hubs marks the next step in the implementation of the Health and Homelessness Whole of Community Response and a new, system-wide approach to ending homelessness in our city. A recording of this meeting can be viewed below on this webpage.

The Hubs are designed to provide wrap-around care and a host of services for unsheltered individuals with the most complex needs, focusing on three of the priority populations identified in the Hubs Implementation Plan: Indigenous individuals, youth, and women and female-identifying individuals. As comprehensive centres, the Hubs will offer around-the-clock services, encompassing supports such as food, shower, laundry facilities, rest areas, income support, integrated care planning, healthcare, and a suite of services designed to help individuals transition into stable housing.

The first Hubs are as follows:

Atlohsa Family Healing Services Hub: This Hub, aimed at supporting Indigenous individuals is located at 550 Wellington Road, and is designed to provide wrap-around services for 10 respite beds and 18 transitional rooms.
Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) Hub: Geared towards assisting youth in need, this Hub will be situated on two sites: the first, at 800 Commissioners Road East, will offer services for 6 respite beds and 9 transitional rooms. The second site will provide accessible primary care and will open at Joan’s Place downtown once completed. YOU anticipates helping up to 60 youth annually, leaning on a wide range of services including shelter, life skills development, and a gamut of housing supports based on the individual needs of each participant.

Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and CMHA Thames Valley had also been selected to provide a Hub serving women and female-identifying individuals at a multi-site Hub. The proposal included two sites (705 Fanshawe Park Road West and 556 Dundas Street), which were evaluated and awarded as a single bid submission under the formal public procurement process. On November 6, 2023, CMHA Thames Valley announced that it was no longer able to proceed with its Hub proposal due to circumstances beyond its control.

The Hubs will be primarily funded by provincial dollars already allocated to the City under the Homelessness Prevention Program, in the amount of $10.4 million, spread over two years. The Fund for Change is providing $4.4 million for capital costs of opening the two Hubs. There will be no tax levy implications resulting from the implementation of these Hubs.

Highly Supportive Housing

Highly supportive housing is a critical part of the Whole of Community System Response. It includes access to health and social services, such as mental health care, addiction treatment, educational resources, employment counselling and emergency food services. The goal is to provide support that will help residents achieve long-term housing stability.

On April 2, 2024, London City Council endorsed a plan that will help bring 600 new highly supportive housing units to London over the next three years. The report, London’s Health and Homelessness Response: Highly Supportive Housing Plan, will set specific standards and expectations while serving as a guide for future highly supportive housing projects within the community.

Since March of 2023 when Council endorsed the Whole of Community System Response, 93 new highly supportive housing units have been established, including new units announced in March 2024 at House of Hope. Upwards of 40 additional units are being planned through a partnership between Indwell and four major developers.

The Highly Supportive Housing Plan was built upon feedback from individuals with lived and living experience of homelessness, to better reflect the needs of the people it aims to support. It defines what highly supportive housing is in London and what its functions are. It also identifies who needs it, outlines different ways individuals can end up in highly supportive housing; and provides recommendations for physical space design, as well as budget and costing.