Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens is pushing back against claims from the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women & Families that the city is failing to support growing demand for women’s shelter beds.
Laforet stated that they are unable to meet growing demand for beds without stable funding, and it could force more women into unsafe situations.
In a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, Dilkens defended the city’s financial support for the shelter and stated that Windsor had purchased the former hotel property used by the centre for $8-million in 2021 and invested $1.6-million in renovations.
He says the renovations allowed the shelter to expand from 12 beds to 32 beds for women and 21 rooms for families.
Dilkens added that the city already provides $1.6-million annually for operations and covers approximately $260,000 in yearly utility and maintenance costs.
The mayor said the city denied the latest funding request because all municipal, provincial and federal funding allocations for the current fiscal year have already been committed elsewhere. However, he said the city would reconsider if additional upper-level government funding becomes available.
Dilkens also pointed to current shelter occupancy levels, saying Windsor’s shelter system is operating at roughly 89 per cent capacity this month, leaving about 21 beds open nightly in addition to 24/7 drop-in spaces provided at H4 and the Downtown Mission.