The program director of a housing support model in Minnesota that the city is hoping to replicate at the former Windsor Arena says “having a place to get healthy and get housing is crucial” in supporting those battling homelessness, mental health, and addiction issues.
Program Director at Ending Homelessness at Avivo Village in Minneapolis David Jefferies was in Windsor Wednesday as Mayor Drew Dilkens and Ward 3 Councillor Renaldo Agostino unveiled the city’s proposal to transform the old arena.
“The Village at The Barn” is described as a supportive pod-style village set up like a campus-style multi-building facility that would provide housing and wrap-around support services with the goal of helping people eventually move into permanent housing in the community and take next steps toward their well-being.
The concept is being modelled after Avivo Village in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a low-barrier transitional housing sanctuary that offers 100 private units and holistic support services in a repurposed former industrial warehouse.
Jefferies says the biggest impact they’ve had is offering a safe place for people to sleep with their possessions and in privacy.
“Absolute dignity is really important, but also a radical welcome. Asking people to come inside, providing a space for them to sleep, be human, get the healthcare they need, and find housing-that’s the key to it all,” he says.
As of April 23, 2026, Avivo Village has served 859 individuals, moved 347 individuals into safe and permanent housing, and reversed 258 overdoses.
Jefferies says for them, the access to housing has been the key and opening the door to housing.
“There may not be that ability to get from the street to housing, and so us being in the middle, the middleman so to speak, having a welcoming, low-barrier shelter is very important,” he says.
Mayor Drew Dilkens says there are a number of things that still need to come to city council regarding the cost, but the city will be asking for federal and provincial financial support.
An estimated cost for the proposal is expected to be delivered to city council sometime in June.
Jefferies says he’s looking forward to seeing what they’ve done happen in Windsor.
“This is a big game changer. This is just the beginning. Having a place to get healthy and then to get housing is really, really crucial,” he says.
The Windsor proposal calls for renovations inside the old arena to provide 102 private, lockable dwellings located within a larger, secure structure.
There would also be a common lounge, communal gathering areas, a community activity room, restrooms and shower facilities, a clinical intake and examination area, administrative, casework, and counselling rooms, access to a safer use space for residents, laundry facilities, space for future growth, programming, education, and outdoor greenspace shared with the city’s Homelessness and Housing Help Hub, or H4.
In order to access the rooms, services, and supports, residents would be required to contribute to the cost of service, including funding through programs like Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), to help cover room and board.
The city plans to prioritize the highest-need individuals when considering access to one of the pods within the village.
“The Village at The Barn” would operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
The arena at the corner of McDougall Avenue and Wyandotte Street East was built in 1927 but has been unused for several years after being permanently closed in 2012.