Londoners are being given a chance to learn more and provide input into the implementation of the city’s plan to address homelessness.
A series of five public in-person drop-in sessions and an online survey are being launched this week. They will allow London residents to learn the details of the health and homelessness response plan and give feedback into the decision-making criteria that will guide the system implementation.
“The work that has been done already in the community to address health and homelessness has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Mayor Josh Morgan, said in a statement. “We know how important it is that residents have a say in the implementation process, because solving this crisis will take the whole community. I encourage residents to learn about what is happening and give input into the decision making criteria that will guide the system implementation, and ultimately improve our collective capacity to help keep marginalized Londoners safe, healthy, and housed.”
The first of the in-person public engagement sessions will be held on Wednesday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre on Wonderland Road North and the South London Community Centre on Jalna Boulevard. On Thursday from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be sessions at the Byron Optimist Community Centre on Norman Avenue and the East Lions Community Centre on Churchill Avenue. The final in-person session will be held at the Kiwanis Seniors’ Community Centre on Riverside Drive
from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. next Monday.
The online survey is available through the city’s engagement portal getinvolved.london.ca/health-and-homelessness-in-london until next Monday.
London’s health and homelessness response plan was developed in consultation with more than 200 individuals from nearly 70 organizations between last November and this past January. Sectors that took part included community health and social services, institutional healthcare, education, emergency services, business and economic development, land and housing development, and multiple levels of government.
The plan includes the creation of 12 to 15 hubs around the city that will have 24/7 access for people who are homeless to visit when they need to. Each hub will serve roughly 20-30 people. There are also plans to create 100 units of supportive housing immediately and a total of 600 over the next three years.
London received a $25 million donation at the start of the year from an anonymous London couple to help combat the homelessness crisis in the city.
