The City of Windsor is in the process of buying a hotel.
Speaking on AM800's The Morning Drive, Mayor Drew Dilkens says the city is finalizing a deal to purchase a hotel in the downtown core to assist and house members of the homeless population.
He says a decision was made in January to buy the hotel and says the funds are coming from a provincial program.
"It was a special program that cities of our size and larger were able to tap into," he says.
Dilkens says the hotel is currently being used as a COVID-19 isolation and recovery centre.
"Last notice that I had just the other day has 40 beds, we had 48 homeless folks in there who are COVID positive, so that's our isolation and recovery centre for our homeless population," says Dilkens.
He adds the city has plans for the hotel.
"We have a plan and we think that the plan that looks at the existing shelter system, looks at the existing providers, I think can work really well but right now we're in the middle of this crisis where we can't use it necessarily for the intention with which it was purchased," he says.
The mayor did not disclose the cost or name of the hotel. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of March.
Meanwhile, the city says 35 individuals have been provided shelter at the the Windsor International Aquatic and Training Centre.
The site is being used as an emergency shelter after COVID-19 outbreaks were declared at the Downtown Mission and Salvation Army.
75 people are isolation at the city's two isolation and recovery centres.