Whether in need of housing, medical care, or just a shower and a hot meal, Londoners facing or at risk of homelessness will be able to access all of those services in one spot next week.
The City of London has announced its first Housing Stability Week will take place beginning on Monday at the Silverwood Arena at 50 Sycamore St. The main goal of the five-day initiative is to help as many people as possible get off of the streets and into a home. However several other support services will also be offered.
“Homeless prevention and housing is an issue facing all of London. The Housing Stability Week initiative will allow us to create a framework for a coordinated approach to the homelessness situation in London,” the city's manager of homeless prevention Craig Cooper said in a statement. “This initiative is an opportunity to rapidly assess housing need and facilitate housing placements for those facing homelessness, as well as provide on-the-spot referrals for services.”
In addition to housing, financial, and health services and programs, those in attendance will be able to get ID, access Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Programs, crisis services, get some food and take a shower. Veterinary services will also be offered for vulnerable people with pets in need.
London currently has just under 200 people sleeping rough and Cooper is optimistic this new housing blitz can get up to 100 of them off the streets and into housing.
“Homeless prevention and housing is a complex issue and there is no magic solution that will address everyone’s housing and support needs,” said Cooper. “Nor is it one agency’s responsibility to solve but initiatives like the Housing Stability Week are a way we can continue to build on the work that the City and our community partners are already doing to help end homelessness in London.”
The Housing Stability Week pilot project is one of the city's 69 staff recommended actions identified in the newly released Core Area Action Plan, which aims to address homelessness while improving the downtown, midtown and Old East Village.
If the fall housing stability week is deemed a success, another will be implemented by the city early next year.
