Chatham-Kent staff have picked a location for 50 small cabins that will house the area’s homeless, starting in 2025.
The property that is proposed to house the emergency transitional cabin program is the municipally owned 378, 390 and 392 Park Street.
Located in a residential neighbourhood on the intersection of Park Street and Hyslop, the vacant property is behind the Chatham animal shelter on Park Avenue.
Over 25 properties across Chatham were reviewed for the Emergency Transitional Cabin Program location, with the Park Street property being the preferred choice.
In a report to council, administration said it meets the needs of the program, constraints of location and timelines for the expiring lease.
Staff have not consulted with the neighboring residents of this location, as they wanted to inform Council of the potential location before initiating consultations with the community.
Since 2022, the temporary homeless shelter has been located in the former Victoria Place school on Murray Street. Time is a factor in making a decision, as the lease at Victoria Place is up in just over a year, meaning the cabins have to be in place by May 2025.
Before Victoria Place, Chatham-Kent’s homeless shelter was located in a former hotel on Bloomfield Road, and prior to that—at the beginning of the pandemic—it was located at the John D. Bradley Convention Centre on Richmond Street.
Two other properties that Chatham-Kent staff considered for the cabins include the Chatham-Kent courthouse property on Grand Avenue, as well as the former Park Ave East public works property. However, as listed in the report, both properties had too many unknowns and intangibles to be considered at this time.
Along with looking to develop the Park Street property, council will look to give the go-ahead to hire a contracted Project Manager for a two-year period to assist with the Emergency Transitional Cabin Program project.
Council will also look to give the thumbs up to administration to begin pre-site development work at this location, including drawings and site servicing up to $500,000.
