The City of Windsor will need additional funding from the federal government to operate the 'warming bus' this winter.
Ward 2 city councillor Fabio Costante says the one-time funding the city received from the feds has dried up.
The 'warming bus' initiative was funded through one-time dollars received last January through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.
Costante says city staff is in talks with the government to try and secure additional funding.
"What we've learned from administration though is that there's ongoing communication with upper level government and there should be, hopefully some announcements soon with respect to resources and funding in the coming months," says Costante.
He says the program is dependent on upper level government funding.
"I know that although the funding has dried up with respect to some of these services, there's ongoing discussions but there's also other things being looked at to try and be resourceful and innovate within limited budgets," he says.
Costante says if the city secures the funding, he would like to see the bus continue.
"The data has shown that it has been able to meet people where they're at and provide a warm form of shelter and so yes I mean, I think it's certainly something that we should consider if the funding allows for it but it's a piece of the puzzle," says Costante.
The bus ran for 55 nights from February 23 to April 27 and provided roughly 1,800 rides to over 300 unique clients.
It was a partnership between the city, Transit Windsor and the Downtown Mission and cost about $144,000 to operate.
According to a city report, the warming bus was a responsive approach to addressing homelessness and it initially followed a pre-determined route but quickly shifted to an outreach model to better meet the needs of the population.
The city says support was provided to individuals with untreated mental illness and addiction, those banned from shelters due to behavioral issues or non-compliance with rules, and those who were highly vulnerable and fearful of traditional shelter environments.
The bus was staffed by a human and health services city employee, along with a partner from either the Downtown Mission or the Windsor Youth Centre.
