Downtown London's largest landlord is looking to make Market Tower home to southwestern Ontario's biggest wellness hub.
Farhi Holdings Corporation unveiled a proposal on Friday asking the Middlesex London Board of Health to consider moving the health unit's headquarters from 50 King St. into the building at the corner of Richmond St. and Dundas St.
“When it comes to critical social services, our organizations can no longer afford to duplicate and silo their efforts. The lack of collaboration and communication between organizations makes it too difficult for people to navigate the maze of services they need," said Shmuel Farhi, president of Farhi Holdings Corporation in a statement. "Only the establishment of a central hub will change that."
It's part of a $5-million plan by Farhi to make Market Tower a central location for addiction, mental health, and housing services.
Currently, the health unit leases office space at 50 King St. from Middlesex County, while also maintaining offices at 201 Queens Ave. in London and 51 Front St. E, in Strathroy. The health unit, looking to move from its current location, entered into a letter of intent in January to lease approximately 68,930 sq ft within Citi Plaza at 355 Wellington St. But the move was halted when the county refused approval, prompting health unit officials to file an application in the Superior Court of Justice to make the move without Middlesex consent.
Farhi decided to float the idea of Market Tower in light of the impending legal battle as an alternative that could please both sides.
He also suggested the site would be ideal for the city's first permanent supervised drug consumption facility.
“I strongly believe a supervised consumption site as part of an all-in-one health service centre is needed in London. Research shows that an integrated [supervised consumption site] with wrap-around services is vital to the success of these programs, not just for saving lives, but to actually help people move to a healthier place in their life,” said Farhi.
At the end of April, the Middlesex-London Health Unit named two proposed locations for the drug consumption sites -- 241 Simcoe St., a building owned by the London and Middlesex Housing Corporation, and 446 York St., which is across from Mission Services of London.
