Health and Homelessness in London

Community Engagement Opportunities: Proposed plan for Pathways from Encampments to Housing

Community engagement sessions are being held on Tuesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 23 to share information on a proposed plan for pathways from encampments to housing, and provide attendees the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback.

In-person engagement event details:

Tuesday, May 21, 6 – 7:30 p.m. – Earl Nichols Recreation Centre

Thursday, May 23, 6 – 7:30 p.m. – East Lions Community Centre

The proposed framework of the plan 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 supporitng and managing encampments.

The engagement sessions will include 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 will be encouraged to share additional feedback with staff and sector partners in breakout discussions.

Specifically, attendees will be 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?

Attendees will also be asked to share comments on the plan components and ask questions.

Feedback collected from the community will be shared with Council for its consideration when reviewing the proposed plan in June.

These engagement efforts will be supported by multiple service areas within the City of London, as well as community partners involved the Whole of Community System Response.

All materials shared at the event, including presentation slides and display boards, will be posted to this webpage on May 21, and you can submit comments and feedback in the area provided below.

Hubs and the Hubs Implementation Plan

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:

1. Atlohsa Family Healing Services Hub: This Hub, aimed at supporting Indigenous individuals, will be located at 550 Wellington Road. Scheduled to open in December 2023, it will provide wrap-around services for 10 respite beds and 18 transitional rooms.
2. 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.

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.