A reduction in overnight shelter space and reduced daytime hours are being recommended as the Essex County Homelessness Hub faces a funding shortfall. An administration report going to Wednesday’s Essex County Council meeting details an estimated $140,000 funding shortfall that will impact operations at the Essex County Homelessness Hub (ECH2) at 215 Talbot Street East in Leamington. The report says this past spring, county administration was advised by the City of Windsor that $70,000 in federal Reaching Home funding, which was provided by the government, would not be available to support the overnight program for the 2026-2027 funding year. The administration report estimates 60 overnight service days need to be eliminated due to the budgetary pressures and recommends closing the overnight program from July 1 to Sept. 1 based on a lower need during that time. According to 2025 data, 16 people used the program on average per night during that same timeframe. Essex County Warden Hilda MacDonald, who’s also mayor of Leamington, says if it was up to her, she would try to find a way to fund the shortfall to help those who need the service. “It means being dry, it means being cool, being safe; it’s a number of things,” she said. “How do you take that away when they’ve now become used to it as well and say, ‘Sorry, you’re on your own from July until September’?” MacDonald says the information did not come to the county until after the budget was passed, and Wednesday’s discussion will be about what to do next. “We have some councillors who are all for filling in the funding gap, but we also have councillors who feel that homelessness funding comes to the City of Windsor and that they should be the ones taking care of it, that it shouldn’t be a county problem,” she said. Family Services Windsor-Essex, which operates the program, also informed the county of another $70,000 shortfall related to daytime operations at ECH2 associated with requirements for on-site security services that are necessary to maintain safe operations for clients, staff, and community partners. FSWE has proposed reducing the hours of operation between July 1 and October 31, moving from 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to operating Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eventually, seven-day-per-week coverage would resume outside of the service reduction period. The report says that based on current utilization data, the estimated number of clients impacted by the closure of the day program on the weekends is 19 individuals based on 2025 data. MacDonald says homelessness is no longer just a city issue; it’s a rural issue too. “We can’t pretend that it is not an issue. We need to also let the upper levels know that the funding that’s coming from the province is not enough funding. They need to know also that they consider giving individual funding to the municipalities that are offering homelessness support,” she said. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the city understands the financial pressures facing Essex County, but maintains the $70,000 provided last year for the overnight shelter program was intended as one-time funding. “We have a fixed pot of money. We didn’t get an increase from the province or the federal government this year,” Dilkens said. “They have acknowledged that it was one-time funding that they were hoping to make permanent. We don’t have a source of funding to make that permanent.” Dilkens said the City of Windsor, which serves as the service manager for housing and homelessness programs in Windsor-Essex, must balance competing needs across the region using limited funding. “We have limited funding for supports. It’s not an unlimited pool of money,” he said. “Everyone has to make do with what we have.” He added that if the city ends the year with a budget surplus, officials would consider directing additional funding toward homelessness supports. “If there is a surplus, we will absolutely consider how we allocate that surplus to have the maximum impact to the system as a whole,” Dilkens said. Dilkens also stressed that homelessness is a regional issue requiring collaboration between municipalities. “This issue is a regional issue, and frankly, it’s a continental issue,” he said. “We want to work with our county partners to have the maximum impact.” He said city administration has already reached out to Essex County to discuss the funding pressures and remains willing to meet. “As soon as they’re willing to have a sit down, our team has already expressed that they’re willing to do that,” Dilkens said. “We look forward to having that conversation.” Essex County Council meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Essex Administration building.
