The first of London's proposed homeless hubs won't just be plunked down wherever there is free space.
According to a report heading to the strategic priorities and policy committee next week, there is a long list of recommended criteria a location must meet before it can be selected as a host site for the first five service hubs.
The 69-page document, dubbed the Hubs Implementation Plan, states that hubs should not be located in close proximity to elementary schools, splash pads or wading pools, or inside residential neighbourhoods. They should also not be directly adjacent to licenced daycares or city parks or placed in Old East Village, Dundas Place, or Richmond Row.
The report does recommend the hubs, which would each contain up to 35 shelter beds, be placed near arterial roads and transit routes. The hubs need to be between 8,000 to 10,000 sq. ft. and should be placed in pre-existing buildings that can be renovated to meet the "unique needs of priority populations and optimized for the consistent delivery of functions and standards of care." Each would need a side entrance off of the street for privacy, meet accessibility requirements, and have a green space to support recreation and those with pets. The general design and landscaping should also reflect the characteristics of neighbouring properties. Inside, there will need to be separate spaces for those in transitional beds and respite beds.
The report was developed by members of the Health and Homelessness Network. In addition to the location criteria, it also outlines the functions and operations of the hubs. This includes providing a 24/7 safe space for unhoused individuals to have their basic needs met, including clothing, food, rest, water, wound care, and hygiene. The hubs will also offer income supports, integrated care planning, justice system services, medical stabilization beds, housing access support, and access to harm reduction referrals.
"The creation of Hubs will serve to introduce a collaborative working model that utilizes the best of service providers to fundamentally change how services are delivered to those most marginalized and of the highest acuity in the community," the report states. "The proposed Hubs Implementation Plan will seek to provide new models of care to improve the quality of life for individuals but also by reducing the impacts of a health and homelessness crisis for the community in general.
City officials announced the plan earlier this year to create 10 to 15 hubs and 600 highly supportive housing units around the city as part of its health and homelessness response. The response was developed in consultation with more than 200 individuals from nearly 70 organizations between last November and this past January to address London's homelessness crisis. Approximately 2,000 people are considered to be homeless in the city. Despite that, there are only about 140 shelter spaces available. The hubs would not replace the existing spaces, but add to them.
"The first and most important outcome of success expected [from the hubs] is a decrease in preventable deaths,” the report states.
Over the past three years, nearly 200 unhoused people have died in London.
So-called "priority populations" would be the first to be offered service at the initial five hubs. Included in the priority populations are Indigenous peoples, those aged 16 to 25, couples and families, women, and medically complex individuals.
"A Hub may serve one or more of these populations in addition to the general population of high acuity individuals, or serve one population exclusively, depending on the unique needs of that population," the plan states.
If the hubs plan receives committee and council approval, the goal is to have the first hubs open sometime in the fall.
Getting people off the streets long-term would reduce stress on health care, emergency services, and social systems and make more financial and human resources available for other community needs, according to the report.
"These interventions and those to come will mean that fewer vulnerable people will be experiencing unsheltered homelessness on London’s streets, and the associated impacts to community and businesses,” the plan states.
The proposed draft budget to operate each hub annually is approximately $2.7 million.
"These costs could be reduced with the use of shared services, group purchasing, and further partnership opportunities," the report states.
The projected capital cost to get the the first five hubs up and running is approximately $10 million.
