Windsor City Council has approved a plan to temporarily increase the number of emergency shelter spaces in Windsor-Essex for those experiencing homelessness.
In all, 73 new warming spaces will be added to the regional shelter system, with Windsor's Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) in the former Water World getting 35 of the spaces.
As part of Windsor's Strengthen the Core plan, the hub expanded its hours of operation from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m., seven days a week. The new spaces will be available from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Windsor's Commissioner of Human and Health Services, Andrew Daher, says a lot of work has gone into the winter contingency plan this year with the additional warming spaces.
"We've never done that historically as part of our winter contingency plan, so this is very, very new," he says.
The other 38 spaces approved by council will be assigned to the Salvation Army, the Welcome Centre for Women and Families, and the Essex County Homelessness Hub.
Daher says "that definitely increases our capacity within the entire system, and this is really, really good news."
The number of unique people staying at an emergency shelter between Jan. 1 and Oct. 31, 2023, stood at 1,632 compared to 1,765 during the same time in 2024, an 8 per cent increase.
Daher says when he started as commissioner in 2022, there were around 550 people on the By Names Prioritized List for those experiencing homelessness, but now that figure is up to over 900.
"The numbers are increasing, but the number of additional warming spaces as part of our winter contingency plan, and let's also not forget we have 38 additional spaces that we're funding year-round at the Downtown Mission. That's well over 100 additional spaces that will help toward this number and the increase," he says.
The By Names Prioritized List (BNPL) from October 2024 indicates there are 902 households experiencing homelessness in Windsor and Essex County, a 26 per cent increase compared to October 2023, which includes 282 who indicate they sleep outdoors most of the time, a 58 per cent increase compared to October 2023.
Currently, there are 187 emergency shelter beds or rooms that provide accommodations for people experiencing homelessness in Windsor and Essex County.
A report to council said that these beds are almost at full capacity most nights.
The Downtown Mission overnight warming centre continues to operate as a year-round overnight drop-in centre, offering 38 additional spaces.
From May 1 to October 31, 2024, there have been a total of 1,820 visits, averaging about 10 visits per day.