London's Dundas Place now has 'game-changing' gender-neutral public washrooms

For the last two months, a public washroom facility has quietly been operating atDundas Place, on the south side of the street near Richmond Street in London, Ont.

The three gender-neutral washrooms, which are accessed through a locked door opened by a security guard, are available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week.

It just bringsmore humanity to people that are experiencing a very marginalized life.- Steve Cordes, executive director, Youth Opportunities Unlimited

"I think it's such a wonderful move," said Steve Cordes, executive director, Youth Opportunities Unlimited. "It just bringsmore humanity to people that are experiencing a very marginalized life."

The washrooms at179 Dundas St. are in the city's so-called field house, which was designed as a back-of-house location forevents proposed for the newly minted street, long before COVID-19 hit.

But due to the pandemic,Dundas Place didn't come to life quite the way staff had anticipated, sothe washrooms were sitting empty at a timewhenrestaurants,coffee shops andthe library all shut down, andlife got more difficult for people experiencing homelessness.

"The two washrooms will be game changing for people who are experiencing homelessness," said Cordes. "Is it enough? No. Is it a step in the right direction? It's a huge step in the right direction just the acknowledgment that this is an important consideration."

$300Kcost to city

The Dundas Place bathroom facility, in conjunction with the washroomsin the bandshell at Victoria Park thatare now also open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., coststhe city $300,000 a year.

That pays for a full-time security guard on Dundas Streetandbuilding attendants who clean the bathrooms.

The funding was approved through theLondon Community Recovery Network process, which identified ways tobolster the city after COVID-19 first locked it down.

About 60 people a day are using the facilities on Dundas Street,said Ryan Craven, the City of London's manager of core area programs.

"We are certainly serving the unsheltered and we are serving everyone," said Craven.

"It'scertainly not intended as a service exclusively for that community," he added."It'sreally to try to make Dundas Placea holistic environment welcoming to everyonethat includes theunsheltered, and it includes the shoppers and the workers, and everyone in between."