The way the municipality of Chatham-Kent houses its temporary homeless population could look very different in the future.
Chatham-Kent administration is recommending buying 50 transitional cabins made from shipping containers to replace the Victoria Park Place shelter. Council will decide the direction for the next homeless shelter at tonight’s council meeting.
With a deadline to have a new homeless shelter of some kind in place by May of 2025, the clock is ticking for Chatham-Kent.
The current homeless shelter—Victoria Park Place, will have its lease up in just over a year.
In a 19-page report to council, Chatham-Kent’s housing services department outlines why they feel the cabins are a better alternative to a traditional shelter similar to Victoria Park Place, which is located in a former school in Chatham’s east end.
Chatham-Kent would not be the only Ontario municipality to use the shipping container cabins to house the homeless, as Peterborough and Waterloo use the small cabins.
The next big issue is where the cabins would go. Chatham-Kent staff has reviewed over 25 potential
properties and requires council direction on which model of service delivery best fit the needs of the community before finalizing the recommended location options.
The report outlines the finances to operate the cabins versus a shelter, as well as costs to buy the cabins.
The cabins would be approximately 100 square feet, and would also feature a common building to house bathrooms, kitchen, training spaces, laundry, and office/meeting space
