New transitional housing ‘village’ planned for former Windsor Arena

The city is proposing to repurpose an old arena to build ‘pod-style’ transitional housing for the unhoused. CTV Windsor's Stefanie Masotti explains.

The City of Windsor has a new plan for the empty Windsor Arena, announcing an initiative on Wednesday meant to support those experiencing homelessness in the city with a program borrowed from Minneapolis.

Outside of the former downtown home of the Windsor Spitfires, the mayor, Drew Dilkens, alongside a slew of other city officials, lifted the lid on a new approach to addressing homelessness and its associated ailments, calling it ‘The Village at The Barn’ — just one part of a broader Housing Help Hub campus concept.

“I am proud to bring forward this vision,” said Dilkens, in a news release, adding local and higher levels of government are spending $25 million in homelessness services and supports each year. “It is imperative that our investments drive noticeable outcomes on the streets of Windsor and in the lives of those suffering from addiction and mental health issues.”

The plan, inspired by the Ending Homelessness at Avivo Village program in Minneapolis, would create a facility within a facility to provide individualized pods within the former arena space, meant to add another layer of security.

“If our model will work anywhere, we want people to use it and to implement it and make it their own,” said David Jefferies, the program director for the Avivo Village initiative, in an interview with CTV News while attending the announcement.

Jefferies stressed the importance of a warm welcome in putting the person first as they work to regain stability.

“Absolute dignity is really important, but also a radical welcome,” said Jefferies. “Asking people to come inside. Providing a space for them to, like I said before; sleep, be human, get the health care they need, and to find housing. That’s the key to it all.”

The ‘pod-style village’ would work alongside the city-owned Homelessness and Housing Help Hub (H4) housed at the former Water World building, next to the former Windsor Arena, to provide support to vulnerable people.

The city’s news release details the transitional housing and its associated supports would require residents to contribute to the service costs, providing room-and-board either through government programs like Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), or through their own means, with highest-need individuals prioritized.

According to the city, the new village at the former Windsor Arena would include wraparound facilities and services:

• 102 private, lockable dwellings located within a larger secure structure
• Common lounge, communal gathering areas, community activity room
• Restrooms and shower facilities
• Clinical intake and examination area
• Administrative, casework, and counselling rooms
• Access to a safer use space for residents
• Laundry facilities
• Space for future growth, programming, education, and more
• Outdoor greenspace shared with H4 and available for programming