Councillors call for changes to get more of the homeless population in from the bitter cold

Amid bitter cold conditions, some councillors are proposing changes to get people living outside – inside, sooner. Here’s CTV London’s Bryan Bicknell.

As the bitter cold drags out through what has been a long and painful winter, some London city councillors are proposing changes to get those ‘living rough’ indoors, and sooner.

“You don’t want to see anybody spending any length of time outside in this weather,” said Coun. Susan Stevenson.

She’s one of three city councillors, along with Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis, to sign a motion calling for $1,896,768 in funding for contractor London Cares to be reallocated.

She said rather than having outreach workers deal directly with those on the street, councillors want to use the money to expand services at the community hub, 602 Queens Ave., from five to seven days per week with longer hours.

“It would give people access to their basic needs, access to indoors space, washrooms, showers, and laundry, which everyone agrees is needed, both in this extreme cold and in any extreme heat situation in the summer,” Stevenson explained.

The motion also calls for changes to the Project Home program, which costs $989,431 per year.

Councillors want to use the funding to bring high-acuity individuals into public housing units, such as 122 Baseline Rd. W.

“So let’s focus on the people coming out of the HART-hub, and the Quinton Warner House, and make sure they get housing, that there isn’t a gap in service,” said Stevenson.

There’s also an effort to change the criteria for when warming centres are opened. City Coun. Skylar Franke and three other councillors have penned a letter to council’s Community and Protective Services Committee asking for more funding and clearer rules for warming centres.

“We are trying to open more spaces earlier,” said Franke. “So right now the Tier-3 level gets triggered at -15 with a -20 windchill. So we’re looking to offer some funding to local agencies to open at -5. As well we would also like to change the trigger for our own warming centre at Boyle so that it would be minus 15 or minus 20 with windchill, or when there’s an Environment Canada Alert,” she explained.

The proposal is estimated to cost $250,000 for the remainder of the winter.

Both motions go to the CAPS committee Monday.