Hubs Implementation Plan

Choosing the right location for a Hub is a critical part of the Hubs Implementation Plan. A wide variety of potential location criteria has been considered, based on input from the Hubs implementation table, business and development reference tables and meetings with Business Improvement Areas, and based on community engagements with community members.

Following Council endorsement of the Hubs Implementation Plan in July 2023, the City began a competitive procurement process to identify lead agencies and proposed locations for the first five Hubs.

Engagement opportunities on London’s Whole of Community System Response to the health and homelessness crisis continued at the end of August, giving Londoners more opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback on the Hubs Implementation Plan. Residents could attend one of five in-person sessions taking place between August 30 and September 7. Feedback was also collected through this webpage.

A report was then prepared by the City about health and homelessness and the procurement process to identify lead agencies to operate Hubs. The report can be reviewed online.

The report was discussed at a Special Meeting of the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee on September 25 and then at a Council meeting on October 5, 2023. At this Council meeting, London City Council approved the first three Hubs, marking a significant leap forward in addressing the health and homelessness crisis. The approval of these first Hubs marks the next step in the implementation of the Health and Homelessness Whole of Community Response and a new, system-wide approach to ending homelessness in our city. A recording of this meeting can be viewed below on this webpage.

The Hubs are designed to provide wrap-around care and a host of services for unsheltered individuals with the most complex needs, focusing on three of the priority populations identified in the Hubs Implementation Plan: Indigenous individuals, youth, and women and female-identifying individuals. As comprehensive centres, the Hubs will offer around-the-clock services, encompassing supports such as food, shower, laundry facilities, rest areas, income support, integrated care planning, healthcare, and a suite of services designed to help individuals transition into stable housing.

The first Hubs are as follows:

1. Atlohsa Family Healing Services Hub: This Hub, aimed at supporting Indigenous individuals, is located at 550 Wellington Road, and provides wrap-around services for 10 respite beds and 18 transitional rooms.
2. Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) Hub: Geared towards assisting youth in need, this Hub will be situated on two sites: the first, at 800 Commissioners Road East, offers services for 6 respite beds and 9 transitional rooms. The second site will provide accessible primary care and will open at Joan’s Place downtown once completed. YOU anticipates helping up to 60 youth annually, leaning on a wide range of services including shelter, life skills development, and a gamut of housing supports based on the individual needs of each participant.

The Hubs will be primarily funded by provincial dollars already allocated to the City under the Homelessness Prevention Program, in the amount of $10.4 million, spread over two years. A request will also be made to the Fund for Change in the amount of $4.9 million to open and $5.2 million to operate the Hubs over the two years. There will be no tax levy implications resulting from the implementation of these Hubs.

Next steps

Community members in the vicinity of the new Hub locations will be engaged by the lead agencies to learn more about the hubs and how they can provide feedback for a smooth transition for Hubs into their respective neighbourhoods. 

With the implementation of the first Hubs, the City will also continue to work with sector and community members to establish highly supportive housing which is also a critical element of the Whole of Community System Response.

The physical design considerations and space specifications for the Hubs include an estimated 8-10,000 square feet of multi-use space, recognizing that this will be impacted by building availability and specific population design and accessibility criteria.

Exterior:       

• Side entry off of street – for privacy and line management
• Fenced private space – for program delivery, stabilization and gathering.
• Green space – to support recreation and for those with pets.
• General design and landscaping – to mirror characteristics of neighbouring properties.
• Meeting accessibility requirements.
• Awning/weather protection for outside engagement.

Interior:  This plan intentionally includes separate spaces in the Hubs for those in transitional beds and respite beds – to help ensure continued stability for those in-residence versus those staying temporarily, each of whom have different needs, including:

Transitional beds:

• Commercial kitchen – to facilitate meal management and distribution.
• Single rooms – to accommodate individuals and couples.
• Shared single-use washrooms – for up to 3-4 individuals.
• Laundry facilities – for independent use as required.
• Meeting and appointment space – for consultations and scheduled appointments
• Communal room/multi-purpose room
• Dining space
• Exam/multi-purpose room – for nursing and primary care provision
• Individual storage – for overflow belongings that do not fit in individual rooms.
• Secure storage – for medication management
• Pets allowed.

Respite Beds:

• Separate crisis de-escalation space – to manage safety and stability for individual, and all participants and staff
• Lobby/front door building space – small gathering space for those accessing HUBS directly and for basic needs provision.
• Laundry facilities – for drop-in use.
• Single use washrooms and shower facilities – for drop-in use
• Intake space – private room for intake and triage
• Pets allowed.
• Individual storage – for those access drop-in hygiene facilities

Overall Infrastructure:

• Commercial hot water capacity
• Where possible, infrastructure and certain features should be recessed in the walks
• Durable furniture
• Robust IT infrastructure – including reliable Wi-Fi, mobile devices, and printing capacity.
• Independent mechanical/furnace room
• Cleaning supply room
• Physical security infrastructure
  • Some camera placements
  • Lighting- well-lit outdoor space
  • Staff-only secure access space
• Case management file storage room/office space
• Secure storage outside their room
• Participant overflow storage
• Parking for staff and partner agencies

Individuals with lived and living experience were asked to help inform the Hub implementation plan. These experiences and voices will continue to be collected and the Hubs move forward into operationalizing and through the Whole of Community System Response as other initiatives including highly supportive housing progress. Through a partnership with St. Joseph’s Health Care, the individuals that participate and share their input are offered the opportunity to disengage at any time and should the sharing of their experiences ever become triggering or difficult to handle, supports are offered to them ahead of time. Resources have been created for collecting feedback and to better understand the specific needs of those experiencing homelessness. The feedback gathered through interviews and focus groups centres primarily on probing questions in plain language to elicit a conversation style survey.

This is a critical function of the Hubs– a place where you can walk in the door 24/7 and receive immediate support. In addition to basic needs/in the moment stabilization support, each Hub offers approximately 35 beds: 25 to 30 are transitional; 5 to 10 are respite beds, ensuring fully accessible spaces

The vision for the Hubs includes a consistent set of services and standards across multiple locations.

The total projected cost for starting up the first five Hubs would be approximately $13.5 million in operating and $10 million in capital. While some existing Housing Stability Services base funding through the Homeless Prevention Program funding is available, advocacy efforts will see funding from other levels of government, and Civic Administration will also be launching the Funders Reference Table as part of this response framework.    

The projected cost of each Hub is approximately $2.7 million per year in operating costs on average, which reflects approximately 25-35 beds and staff.