Councillor Kieran McKenzie was very disappointed his motion to approve one-time funding for the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families was deferred.
Councillor Jo-Anne Gignac requested the deferral to get more information from administration before the nearly two dozen registered delegates could speak on the motion.
"We had the opportunity, and we had so many experts that were lined up ready to speak. We had responses and correspondence from many many folks in the community, we also had a four page council report," said McKenzie.
The motion passed with a six to five vote.
The Welcome Centre requested $192,523 for the addition of 12 beds at the shelter. The official request was submitted to the city at the beginning on May, however the shelter did request additional funding during budget deliberations.
The Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families asked for the additional funding because of the growing need in the community.
Despite there being room in the overall shelter system across the city, officials with the Welcome Centre say they continually have to turn away women who then choose to stay in their cars for the night instead of going to other shelters.
The City of Windsor spends around $25 million annually on housing and homelessness services funded through municipal, provincial, and federal funding. The Welcome Centre receives $1.6 million annually from the province and $260,000 in municipal funding for utilities and facility maintenance.
"If there is a turn away, if the Welcome Centre happens to be full it doesn't mean there's not space for women or other folks at other shelters and that's the difference here. If you're just talking about and looking at one particular shelter, it's hard to do when you, as a city, operate the system," said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
The motion is expected to return to council with a full report from administration by the end of July.
"I want to get a whole picture. I want to hear data applicable to the day that we're having discussions in terms of whether or not the money is going to the organizations that need it, and is it the best way," said Gignac.
