Conversion of former London hospital gets $4.8M boost from donor fund

CBC

3 hours ago

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More than $22 million of the $25 million donated anonymously by a family two years ago to help London respond to a housing and homelessness crisis has now been allocated.
On Monday, the housing charity Indwell announced that $4.8 million from the Fund For Change would go toward the conversion of 346 South St. into 96 affordable supportive housing units. Built in 1921, the heritage building once served as Western University's medical school.
The building is also part of the Vision SoHo Alliance, a partnership of six non-profit developers coming together to build affordable housing units on the former Victoria Hospital grounds.
Indwell has also received $2.8 million in private donations for the project, which is currently under construction with a planned opening date of winter 2027.
Diane Silva is president of the London Community Foundation, which manages the Fund for Change in consultation with the donor family.
At an event held Monday to announce the recent funding, Silva said the building will give residents more than a rental unit. It will also include wraparound supports, everything from help with health care and addiction treatment to meal preparation and other supports.
"When you put people in housing that have been unhoused for a long time — people that come with complex physical or mental health needs — if they don't have that wraparound support care, they're not going to be successful," she said.
Silva pointed to the House of Hope, a supportive housing building on Dundas Street operated by London Cares, as a successful model for effective housing for high-needs tenants.
"When they get the care that they need, they get better," said Silva.
Indwell CEO Jeff Neven said the donation to the Fund for Change helped move the project along quickly. He said senior governments can sometimes be reluctant to contribute money for new housing projects unless they're almost shovel-ready. However, because getting housing projects to that stage is expensive, donations are essential to move the project along.
"The level of support that we've received here in London is unique because of its scale and its interest in coming to the table first," said Neven. "The donated dollars here helped us to get this project ready to go."
Mayor Josh Morgan said the South Street building will be able to provide a proper level of care for high-needs tenants. He said in the past, they were sometimes placed in London Middlesex Community Housing units. Often, those placements didnt' work out, he said.
"They would be unsuccessful in their housing journey," he said. "They'd be moved out, and the corporation was stuck with a big repair bill for damage to their unit because we weren't caring for people properly."
Morgan said supportive housing already built in London has helped reduce calls to police and paramedics and also cut down on emergency department visits.
"They have taken the pressure off of other critical services in our community," said Morgan.
Other projects in London that have received money from the Fund For Change include:
Atlohsa Family Healing Services and St. Joseph's Health Care London ($1.3 million in capital).
Youth Opportunities Unlimited and London Health Sciences Centre ($3 million).
Coves Landing (Elmwood Place): 50 units of highly supportive housing ($4 million for capital, $1.7 million in operating funds). Targeted opening 2026.
Hilda Stuart Lofts: 42 units (formerly War Memorial Children's Hospital) conversion in SoHo. ($1.5 million for capital).
London Cares House of Hope: 49 highly supportive housing units ($846,000 for one year of operating costs).
CMHA-Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services: 115 units in two locations. Targeting opening for 2026 and 2027. ($5 million for capital).