Strong demand for temporary warming spaces in local emergency shelters

Despite having nearly 100 shelter beds, the Downtown Mission is relying on overload crash mats to accommodate its client base. The city says Windsor's emergency shelters are nearing 100 capacity — months before the winter when demand typically surges. (Sanjay Maru/CTV News Windsor)

Demand was strong for temporary warming spaces that opened during the winter months for those experiencing homelessness in Windsor-Essex.

Kirk Whittal, executive director of housing and children’s services for the City of Windsor, says the warming centres were very busy as they operated roughly 118 temporary spaces.

According to Whittal, between January and March 2025, over 780 unique individuals used the additional spaces at all the locations they opened.

During that same time frame, almost 830 people also used the permanent capacity in the shelter system across Windsor and Essex County, an almost 93 per cent utilization rate.

A total of 73 additional overnight warming spaces were opened in January, including 35 at the city’s Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) in the former Water World on Wyandotte Street.

Another 38 temporary overnight spaces were designated to the Salvation Army, the Welcome Centre for Women and Families, and the Essex County Homelessness Hub.

Whittal believes weather was one factor in the demand for the spaces.

“We obviously live in Canada, and although Windsor tends not to be as aggressive in winter, we certainly had that snap in late January and early February where we had a pretty good stretch of really cold weather, and that is certainly a factor in why we need these spaces available,” he says.

One-time funding from the upper levels of government for the additional overnight warming spaces expired March 31.

Whittal says they are seeking permanent funding for spaces in the future.

“We are in a constant, I’ll call it a constant state, and city council is the same way, where we advocate to upper levels of government when we look for any of these funding opportunities to try and improve the system,” he says.

As part of Windsor’s Strengthen the Core plan, the city’s H4 expanded its hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m., seven days a week. The temporary spaces were available from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.

— Rusty Thomson/AM800 News