City staff propose 4 riverside 'service depots' as encampment problems worsen

With conditions in London's homeless encampments getting progressively worse over the past year, city staff are recommending that four service depots be set up along the Thames River to provide basic services, including access to water, food and bathrooms. 

The recommendation is laid out in a report that updates city council about the city's response to homeless encampments. It also comes as the city prepares to gather public input on its plan to support people who sleep outside, including those who deal with addiction and mental health issues. 

Greg Nash is the director of complex urban health for the London Intercommunity Health Centre. He said outreach workers are facing new challenges trying to meet the needs of a homeless population that is growing in both size and in the complexity of health care needs. 

He said the service depots are intended to address basic needs quickly and in locations that are close to the encampments.

"We need to address issues right now," said Nash. "The amount of desperation and aggression in the community [of those who sleep outside] has grown substantially in the last couple of months." 

The staff report echoes this, saying that over the past 12 to 18 months there has been an increase in violence at encampments, with many who sleep outside being victimized by others who are unsheltered. 

A more toxic supply of street drugs is also leading to an increase in overdoses and more severe mental and physical health problems, Nash said.

Location of service depots

The four service depots will provide food, washrooms and drinking water. There will also be safety checks and access to the overdose prevention drug Naloxone, along with increased trash cleanup near encampments. 

Three meals and snacks will be provided at set times to meet basic nutrition needs, Nash said. 

The services to address these needs will be available at the following locations, all close to the city core along the Thames River: 

• Ann Street Park (West of Talbot Street, south of Oxford Street). 
• Cavendish Park (south of Riverside Drive west of Wharncliffe Road)
• Wellington Valley Park (south of Nelson Street in SoHo). 
• Watson Street Park (south of the river, just east of Wellington Street).

The service depots would be in addition to the city's "whole of community system response" to homelessness, which involves outreach through multiple organizations through London Cares. 

Nash said as apartments in London have become more expensive and difficult to find, new people are being pushed into homelessness. 

"We're seeing people being displaced and losing the housing that they've had for a long time," said Nash. "There are lots of new people on the street." 

To help fund a stepped up response, the report calls on the city to provide an extra $100,000 to its existing contract with London Cares and to support the Canadian mental Health Association. An extra $255,000 from a reserve fund is also being recommended to help fund the service depots. 

Have your say

Meanwhile, the city is seeking public input on how it's responding to health and homelessness in the city core. 

Five in-person drop-in sessions will be held between Wednesday and June 26:

• Wednesday June 14 | 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Canada Games Aquatic Centre 1045 Wonderland Rd. N. or South London Community Centre 1119 Jalna Blvd. 
• Thursday June 15 | 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Byron Optimist Community Centre 1308 Norman Ave. or East Lions Community Centre 1731 Churchill Ave. 
• Monday June 26 | 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Kiwanis Seniors' Community Centre 78 Riverside Dr.