City facilities not part of proposed $5.7M winter response plan

London is poised to overhaul its winter response for the city’s homeless, after a brutal winter during which a community centre operated as an overnight warming centre for 24 nights. City council’s community and protective services committee endorsed a new homeless response for the 2026-27 winter. The plan calls for 235 beds and warming spaces [...]

London is poised to overhaul its winter response for the city’s homeless, after a brutal winter during which a community centre operated as an overnight warming centre for 24 nights. City council’s community and protective services committee endorsed a new homeless response for the 2026-27 winter. The plan calls for 235 beds and warming spaces to remain open from December to the end of March, with an additional 29 surge spaces for when the temperature drops to –15 C or –20 C with the wind chill.

The projected cost is $5.7 million. “The thing I really like about it, is that we’re going to try to regularize this,” Coun. Sam Trosow said.

“One of the things that I think has caused a lot of tension in the community, on this council, with staff, is the uncertainty and the going back and forth.” The plan would be a departure from last winter when many of the new warming spaces, including those at Boyle Memorial Community Centre on Charlotte Street, were opened only during extreme cold — adding to a total of 200 spaces. A city staff report says the proposed changes would provide a “more consistent, predictable, co-ordinated and effective” winter response under the previous three-tier system.

A total of $3.6 million had been set aside 2026-27 winter response. The 2025-26 winter response cost $4.1 million, a staff report says. No city facilities would be used this winter, with the city providing only funding and co-ordination.

The first tier involves adding surge space in existing shelters, including spaces that recently lost funding. The second tier includes extending funding for Ark Aid Mission’s 70 existing shelter spaces at the Cronyn-Warner shelter at Queens Avenue and William Street. The third tier would result in additional spaces opening at the Ark Aid and London Cares buildings, the church space at Cronyn-Warner, and an unconfirmed fourth space in either the city’s south or far east.

Cheryl Smith, deputy city manager of neighbourhood and community-wide services, told committee members the weather thresholds proved a logistical challenge for city hall to be able to mobilize the Boyle Memorial Community Centre as a warming centre on short notice. The use of the community centre as a shelter was confusing for emergency services dropping off people and those who showed up at the door if thresholds were close to being met or forecasts changed, Smith said. The winter response framework followed a flat-footed response from city hall in January 2025 when it hurriedly opened the Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre as a warming centre when dangerous cold descended on the city.

“Just going back to (the) last winter response — incredibly challenging for everyone, I have to say, with the temperatures we had,” Coun. Jerry Pribil said. “I know it’s not 100 per cent proactive action.

On the other hand, we’re in a situation that we must address it — we have no choice.” Coun. Corrine Rahman was the sole vote against the plan, saying she wished to see an evaluation of the exact number of spaces needed following the opening of the city’s micro-shelter complex in southeast London and the addition of supportive housing beds.

City council will vote on the proposed homeless response plan at an upcoming meeting.