London Mayor Josh Morgan says more must be done to help cities meet the challenges of addictions and homelessness. That’s why he seconded a motion at the big city mayors’ caucus calling for the province to declare a state of emergency. “We’re all pulling in the same direction, but it’s still not enough. There are still more people falling into homelessness than we are putting into housing. And that is the true emergency because, on the streets in this province, people will freeze this winter. Some people will die.” In southeast London, land is being prepared for 60 micro-shelter units, which will have on-site supports. In locations across the province, municipalities are unveiling their own approaches to addressing shelter and housing issues. Morgan believes having the province declare a state of emergency will improve, coordinate and accelerate responses. “It elevates this to one of the highest priorities in the province. Right? It signals to the federal government that we need assistance in this province. It allows multiple ministries to come together. It allows partnerships to form.” On Sunday, the Middlesex-London Health Unit issued an extreme cold alert that prompted the city to open a warming center in the Boyle Memorial Community Center in the Old East Village neighbourhood. It gave people on the streets a chance to get out of the cold overnight. But Morgan says that kind of emergent response comes at a cost, “Agencies who are doing incredible work in our city have maxed to their capacity in their spaces, so we had to surge to another 56 spaces. So, having these additional resources online at the expense of property taxpayers is absolutely necessary to pull people out of the cold. But ultimately it is not something that is sustainable in the long term for municipal governments to fund. It’s not what property taxes were meant to do.” Chris Surowiak lives in Old East Village, and he supports using the Boyle Community Centre for a warming centre, “Some of them, you know, need more but, right now, this is nothing. Just to open a community center.” He also wants to see more done for those on the streets, “We need to do it. I mean, housing is expensive. And it’s not their fault that they found themselves in this condition. You can’t make the assumption that it is all their fault.” Morgan stresses the motion is not a criticism of the province’s efforts, but the big city mayor’s note that municipal governments absorbed more than half (51.5 per cent) the cost of the $4.1 billion spent on housing and homelessness projects in 2024.
