Less than two months after welcoming its first residents, the micro-modular shelter (MMS) for homeless Londoners has reached its capacity, and there’s now a long waitlist of people hoping to move-in next. Last October, council approved spending up to $7 million to construct the 60-unit shelter (50 single occupancy, 10 double occupancy) on Cheesefactory Road and operate it until April 2027. Staff confirmed that the shelter will operate with a capacity between 65 and 70 people, and currently has 68 residents. On Tuesday, the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee (SPPC) discussed a staff report about the facility. “The micro-shelters are at capacity; I wanted to know if we had any numbers [about] waitlists of potential participants who said that they would like to be moving into the micro-modular site?” Coun. David Ferreira asked city staff. Project Lead Chris Green explained, “My understanding is that the waitlist is well over 100 other individuals that have met the criteria that the Coordinated Access Group has put together, to be successful at the micro-shelter.” Last week, Mayor Josh Morgan told CTV News that the shelter was showing initial signs of success. He emphasized to colleagues on the committee that the goal is to graduate people from the micro-shelters into supportive housing that meets their needs. “I’m hopeful that this site will not be a site for 60 or 70 people, but a site where we get some flow-through and get people into housing,” Morgan said. Meanwhile, a letter of support from London Cares Homeless Response Services also highlights the facility’s success to date. “As our teams have continued to support participants on site, we have seen firsthand how well the space functions,” the letter reads. “The environment is welcoming, organized, and intentionally designed; reflecting the care invested by city staff and partners throughout development.” It adds, “The impact on those we’ve supported into these units has been powerful and immediate. Many have expressed disbelief that this opportunity is truly theirs, some saying they needed to be ‘pinched’ to believe it.” Three people have left the facility, one for a more appropriate facility to address their medical needs, and two for failing to comply with the rules. “In these instances, people have had an altercation, a blow-up, [we] try to work with the individuals but in many cases they’re just refusing to stay and they want to leave,” explained Kevin Dickinson, deputy city manager of Social and Health Development. An upcoming report to council will detail the construction and set-up costs of the facility.
