Latest news with #DowntownMission
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Downtown Mission to move with H4
The search to find a spot to put the H4 Homeless Hub continues. And, the Downtown Mission said it'll relocate with it. CTV Windsor's Travis Fortnum reports.
CTV News
27-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Downtown Mission plans move with Windsor's H4 to better serve clients — and neighbours
Leadership at the Downtown Mission says the Ouellette Avenue location was never meant to be permanent. Seen in Windsor, Ont. on May 27, 2025. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor) The Downtown Mission says it plans to move alongside Windsor's Homelessness and Housing Help Hub — a relocation that could significantly reshape how the city delivers support to its most vulnerable. Executive Director Rukshini Ponniah-Goulin told CTV News the Mission hopes to co-relocate with the H4 when the city finds a permanent site for the homelessness hub. 'We have every intention and hope of going there with them,' she said. 'Or relocating close to it, if not right on the property.' While the Mission has operated its shelter and services out of a building on Ouellette Avenue since 2017, Ponniah-Goulin said that site was never meant to be permanent. In a new location, she said she'd like to see features that support both clients and the surrounding neighbourhood. 'An enclosed space in the back for our clients to have some privacy,' she said. 'But also, so our neighbours — whether they be businesses or residential homeowners — don't necessarily have to be faced with the clients every day.' She said staff are already working closely with the city, as the search for a permanent home for the H4 resumes. Council voted this week to remove a previously imposed two-kilometre boundary from the downtown core, allowing potential H4 locations to be considered citywide. Mayor Drew Dilkens acknowledged the shift won't be easy. 'Nobody wants this next door to them,' he said. He added the city's goal is to find a location that works for the people who use the hub — and for those who live nearby. 'A lot of the behaviours that play out are unwanted behaviours by many of the residents,' Dilkens said. 'And so, we're going to try and find a location that makes sense within our city.' Water World was only intended as a temporary home for the H4 when it opened in 2020. A proposed move to Wellington Avenue was shelved late last year due to cost. The mayor said identifying a new location could still take years.
CBC
26-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Homelessness and housing help site can relocate anywhere in Windsor, says council
The future permanent location of Windsor's Homelessness and Housing Help Hub will no longer be limited to a two-kilometre radius of the downtown core, council has decided. On Monday, the majority of city council voted to lift the previously-imposed boundaries and allow staff to look for potential H4 sites across Windsor. The H4 is currently temporarily operating out of the former Windsor Water World building at Wyandotte Street East and Glengarry Avenue. The hub operates year-round, offering help and drop-in services to those seeking shelter. It's also an emergency overnight shelter during cold weather. A study that was undertaken by the city in 2022 outlined that the H4 should be located within two kilometres of downtown Windsor. The reasoning was that the help hub should be accessible to those who need its services most, and also be near healthcare services. A property at 700 Wellington Ave. was selected by the city as a permanent site for the H4 — with the proposed facility offering 64 one-bedroom units. Leadership of the Downtown Mission of Windsor said they would re-locate to be closer to the Wellington Avenue site. In late 2024, city council cancelled the plan, citing costs. The new widening of the site-selection process was driven by downtown councillor Renaldo Agostino. At the May 12 council meeting, Agostino questioned the two-kilometre restriction, and argued that the city's efforts to improve the downtown core were "not working." On Monday, Ward 10 Coun. Jim Morrison said he supports expanding the area for the H4 because "it looks like we've been doing nothing." Ward 8 Coun. Gary Kaschak said he's in favour of finding a new site, but he believes a boundary needs to be in place to ensure the H4 is connected to downtown services. Ward 6 Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac agreed. "I think we have to be cognizant of the fact that the community took part in an extensive undertaking," Gignac said. Gignac expressed worry that the city has set expectations for other service providers that the H4 would be downtown. Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis shared that concern — but he supports expanding where the H4 can be located. "We can't lose sight of what the key objective is, and the ripple effects," Francis said. City staff say more services inside H4 allow for wider site selection At Monday's council meeting, city staff members said they believe improvements to what the H4 offers will allow them to select a site outside the previously determined boundaries. "I don't know if a two-kilometre radius is necessarily best practice," said Dana Paladino, the city's acting commissioner of human and health services. "Location to the emergency room is not as critical as it was." According to Paladino, the H4 now benefits from Shelter Health, a service that provides emergency care for people using shelter spaces. Paladino said mental health care supports are also being added to the H4, and court services are more accessible today because of the prevalence of virtual meetings. As a result of council's decision on Monday, city staff will now consider potential sites for the H4 city-wide, then bring a list for council to review. From there, council will select the site and ask upper levels of government for funding to build the facility.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Over $11,000 donated to Downtown Mission by Caesars Windsor Cares
A cheque presentation to The Downtown Mission from Caesars Windsor Cares seen in Windsor, Ont. on May 21, 2025. (Source: The Downtown Mission)
CBC
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
'It isn't working.' Downtown Windsor councillor seeks review of homelessness strategy
One year since the City of Windsor launched its Strengthen the Core plan, downtown councillor Renaldo Agostino is expressing frustration with the state of his ward. He's questioning why homelessness services need to be within two kilometres of the downtown area. CBC's Dalson Chen spoke with the executive director of the Downtown Mission and one of the service's clients — Andre W.
