Province won’t support safer use space in Windsor’s Village at the Barn proposal

Architectural renderings of the City of Windsor's proposed 'Village at the Barn' transitional housing concept to be established at the former Windsor Arena in downtown Windsor. (Courtesy Architecttura).

The province says it will not support a safer supply or supervised use component in the proposed “Village at the Barn” in downtown Windsor.

The plan would transform the former Windsor Arena into an indoor village to house and support people experiencing homelessness, mental health, or addiction issues. It includes a safer use space for residents.

Speaking on AM800’s The Kyle Horner Show, Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie says the Ford government prefers a recovery-focused model, such as HART Hubs, that includes treatment and wraparound supports.

“We definitely want people to get to a better place and especially given what I saw from our local data, we weren’t seeing it when we had our our supervised consumption site,” Dowie said. “Overdoses at Windsor Regional’s emergency room went up while SafePoint was open and then went down after SafePoint was closed.”

Dowie argues transitional housing should help people leave addiction and homelessness behind, not accommodate ongoing use.

“The purpose of transitional housing is to assist someone who’s experiencing homelessness and to help them get back on their feet,” he said.

“So I think it detracts from the overall goal when someone is being encouraged, or facilitated, to continue with the conditions that may be contributing to that homelessness.”

Dowie adds the province is open to supporting the broader housing proposal, but needs a clear request from the city.

“What I’ve had to relate back to the mayor, I think he’s been public in saying it is, I just need to know what the ask is. What would you like the province to do?”, he said.

Dowie says there are existing housing funding programs that the city could apply to and says he’s willing to work with municipal officials to secure support.