London, Ont., needs more housing aid for couples, families, says doctor who treats the homeless

A London, Ont., doctor who treats people living on the street says the city's emergency shelter system has too few options when it comes to couples, families and people living with pets.

Dr. Andrea Sereda, the clinical leadat London's Intercommunity Health Centre, a clinic dedicated to treating at-risk people who face barriers to healthcare,told CBC News Monday that she was struck by the bravery of a homeless couple who must leave their sleeping spot in Thames Park by Wednesday,or face eviction by city hall.

Gary Desjardins, 45 and Tasha Ackert, 38, refused help from the city and chose to stay together rather than taking their chances in London's shelter system, where they risk being separated from each other or their dog Lilly.

"What else are they going to do? They have nowhere else to go,"Dr. Sereda said Monday."I really empathize with this couple."

Only about 40 rooms for couples in London

Between Unity Project and Rotholme Family Shelter, there are only about 40 rooms available for couples in the city and not all of them welcome pets. Dr. Sereda said the lack of optionsoften puts homeless couples in the position of choosing between being separated and having a roof over their heads.

Many of them can't bear the thought of being separated, Dr. Sereda said, because the gritty realities of life on the street mean their relationship goes far beyond romance.

"We refer to these folks not just necessarily as romantic partners or a couple in that way, we really refer to them as survival partners, they're leaning on each other to get their most basic needs and safety metand that needs to be respected."

Craig Cooper, the director of homeless support services for the City of London, told CBC News Monday that he acknowledges the lack of space for couples, families and people with pets is a problem the city is trying to address.

"We're working with other shelters to try and expand this," he said, adding the city is currently negotiating with one of the city's shelters to provide more rooms for couples.

"It's not a today solution but it is something we're looking into."

'There's not enough room at the inn'

While more support for couples is coming, Dr. Sereda said there needs to be more space overall because there are so many people in need of help, they're forced to sleep rough because the system is already at capacity.

'You get to be with your spouse,' why some homeless people reject the shelter system

6 years ago

Duration 0:43

A former homeless couple who lived on the streets of London, Ont. explains why some people who are homeless would rather not stay at a shelter.

"There's not enough room at the inn. Our team struggles to find emergency shelter for anyone."

Just last week her staff struggled to find a spot for a woman fleeing a domestic abuse situation, an event that happens so often lately, she isn't worried that sharing the story will give the woman's identity away.

"This person spent the weekend sleeping rough," she said. "I can share that story without fear of identifying that person because that person could one of 25 people we did the same thing for last week. It is such a common story that I'm not concerned about those details."

The estimateon the number of people currently sleeping rough in the city is anywhere from 150 to 300 people and Dr. Sereda said that number has likely increasedever since federal and provincial governments reduced emergency funding for support of homeless people as pandemic health restrictions began to ease last month.

"For us, there's a correlation with the ending of funding for hotels from the federal government.The majority of those folks ended up back on the street."

Cooper said more shelter space for the city's homeless people is coming, but it will take time. Mayor Ed Holder announced earlier this year that city hall is looking to eventually build 3,000 spaces for people in need of assistance.

The city is also compiling a report on the state of homelessness in the city post-pandemic and possible options for shelter and housing, which is slated to be received by a city hall committee next month.