Homelessness hub site `right choice'
Councillor says Wellington Avenue property good fit; city to expropriate
The City of Windsor says it has found a location near the downtown for its proposed permanent Homelessness and Housing Help Hub.
The city announced Tuesday morning it had selected 700 Wellington Ave. as the location of the H4, but the 7.14-acre property currently zoned for industrial use must be expropriated.
A temporary H4 facility, which offers wraparound services to homeless people, currently operates out of the former Windsor Water World building at 400 Wyandotte St. E.
“This seven-acre site provides enough space to develop at least 64 one-bedroom permanent supportive housing units as well as common space for programming, services, and other amenities,” Andrew Daher, city commissioner of human and health services, said in a statement.
“This is a giant step forward for our community.”
Following council direction, city staff initially attempted to negotiate the Wellington site's purchase, but they were unsuccessful, according to a news release. The city will now expropriate the property.
The city examined 200 properties and reviewed four expressions of interest in search of a permanent home for the homelessness hub.
The property, the city said, meets “many of the key factors initially identified” through a consultant's report on criteria for a permanent H4 operation.
“I think it's the right choice,” Coun. Renaldo Agostino told the Star. The selected Wellington Avenue location is in his Ward 3.
“I like this site the best because of the opportunities that its size provides. There was nothing else in the downtown area that was attainable and provided the opportunity to build as much as we need.
“We need 64 housing units. I want to see something nice. Nobody wants to live in a box. To do the things we need to do and bring the services there, we need a lot of space, and that location has a lot of space.”
Located just off Wyandotte Street west of the downtown, it's within a two-kilometre radius of the downtown core; it's located on a major transit route and is walkable to most core supports and services.
It's also “low-risk for site safety, stigma, and building security;” and large enough to accommodate additional housing units and social services.
The site holds an “opportunity for community revitalization and economic redevelopment on a site that has been historically undeveloped,” the city said. According to a real estate listing, the property has been on the market since 2017.
The city will conduct outreach “to discuss potential partnerships and co-location opportunities with local organizations that provide complementary services in support of ” H4, the news release said.
“The establishment of the housing hub and the offering of ancillary services will be essential to reduce long-term homelessness and provide program participants with robust social services in one location allowing them to achieve their fullest potential,” the city said. “This initiative is also offered in support of the city's 10-year Housing and Homelessness Master Plan.”
In fall 2022, council unanimously supported preliminary plans for a permanent and expanded version of the city's housing hub. Council gave staff the go-ahead to find potential locations for a purpose-built facility to replace the former Windsor Water World site.
Hired consultant Glos Arch + Eng created a vision for a new hub, one that outlines a “welcoming and dignified” facility that meets basic needs, provides wraparound support, serves as a safe drop-in space, helps those on the verge of homelessness stay afloat, and has as many as 64 transitional and supportive housing units.
The city opened H4 at the Water World building in April of 2020 as an emergency response to COVID -19 outbreaks in local shelters. According to the consultant's report, H4 has since become a “well-loved” space and has helped fill gaps in service for people experiencing homelessness.