The councillor for ward 2 is speaking out about the cancellation of the proposal for Windsor's Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4).
On Monday, the city announced it was no longer pursuing land at 700 Wellington Avenue for the new H4 due to the cost associated with land acquisition.
The seven acre site was expected to include enough space to develop at least 64 one-bedroom permanent supportive housing units, common spaces for programming, services, and other amenities.
Fabio Costante was opposed to the project since it was announced back in April, stating that he believed it wasn't consistent with the spirit and intent laid out in the 2022 Glos report.
"I don't think we should ever co-locate another shelter with the H4, like the Mission or any other shelter, and that it's done in the most fiscally prudent way as well."
Mayor Drew Dilkens said on Monday that the cost of the project was now upwards of $70 million.
Costante says it can only move forward with external assistance, which is now up in the air due to two elections threats.
"It's impossible to do this without the support of funding and resources from upper level government, and so getting some clarity and stability without an election cycle is going to be critical. In the interim though, I see us continuing to offer and expand services at the current site at Glengarry."
He says over the summer he went to a conference in Calgary and toured their shelter system, which offered multiple shelters across the city to serve vulnerable residents.
"I'm actually a proponent of smaller shelters of this nature that provide services as well, but are kind of placed in areas throughout our community where they work with other organizations and programs to serve individuals in need," Costante said.
Earlier this month, the city announced an additional 73 spaces will be available at the H4 at 400 Wyandotte Street East, between the newly expanded hours of 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.
-With files from AM800's The Shift with guest host Kyle Horner
My statement on the Housing and Homelessness Help Hub 👇 pic.twitter.com/oKN8pyHUcy
— Fabio Costante (@FabioCostante) December 23, 2024