St. Thomas-Elgin has emerged as an example of what’s possible when a city commits to ending homelessness with strong leadership and a focus on permanent solutions. Through adopting evidence-based practices and a housing focused approach, this Ontario community has not only ended veteran homelessness, but they have also seen a decrease in chronic homelessness and share a goal of achieving functional zero for all homelessness.
A key ingredient for St. Thomas-Elgin’s success in reducing homelessness is the support and enthusiastic leadership of local politicians including Councillors and St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston.
Like communities all over Ontario, St. Thomas is feeling the pressures of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and a toxic drug supply.
Communities across the province are struggling with surging homelessness including unsheltered homelessness and encampments. St. Thomas-Elgin is bucking that trend.
“Homelessness, encampments and the community safety concerns that come with that are a constant topic of conversation among Mayors in Ontario,” Mayor Preston says. “Here in St. Thomas, we are doubling down on our efforts and resources to increase supportive housing as the permanent solution to ending homelessness. In the absence of housing, we have worked hard to ensure that people have access to temporary solutions like low-barrier shelter spaces, and we’ve been closely following the Built for Zero model with Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. We have lots of work ahead of us still, but I’m heartened by the progress we’re making.”
In August, Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM) launched the ‘Solve the Crisis’ campaign. Solve the Crisis calls on the province to provide more support to cities to help tackle homelessness and encampments. Mayor Preston is among the Mayors supporting that campaign.
Early in November a group of 13 Mayors penned a letter urging Premier Doug Ford to use the notwithstanding clause to give cities more powers to clear encampments.
Mayor Preston initially signed the letter to Premier Ford to support his colleagues but decided to withdraw his support for the use of the notwithstanding clause given the success his community has had without it.
“I appreciate the frustrations my colleagues are experiencing and the urgent need for more support from the province in responding to encampments,” Mayor Preston says. “Our experience here is that leading with a person-centered, housing-focused approach to resolve unsheltered homelessness works with people living in encampments and can be more effective than leading with enforcement. In fact, it helps to reserve enforcement resources to address crime and community safety concerns for all citizens regardless of what their housing status is.”
“St. Thomas is proof of what can be done with a housing-focused approach. We know we need more housing, and we need to be continually improving our response, but we’ve had success and are getting results by using best practices and focusing all our energy on housing. Using enforcement could be unnecessarily disruptive to our good work and to the lives of the people we’re serving.”
The Ingredients of St. Thomas-Elgin’s Success
St. Thomas-Elgin’s achievements are the result of intentional strategies that have delivered real results. Among their most notable accomplishments:
- A Focus on Ending, Not Managing Homelessness: St. Thomas-Elgin is one of the first communities in Canada to achieve a functional end to veteran homelessness and has now set its sights on ending all homelessness. This focus on permanent solutions drives the local strategy.
- Using Real-Time Data to Make Decisions:: Using By Name Data, has been critical in helping St. Thomas see how homelessness in the community is changing, and allows them to respond quickly and target housing resources, investments and interventions effectively.
- Rapid Rehousing and Housing First Principles: The community has embraced Housing First and is rapidly building a system and resources to ensure that people experiencing homelessness are connected to permanent housing as quickly as possible, with the support they need and no preconditions.
- Access to low-barrier emergency shelter services: The community has worked hard to ensure that people experiencing homelessness have access to low-barrier emergency shelter services through The INN, a local non-profit organization, that are designed to meet people where they are at and create space and resources that can address unique needs.
- Collaboration Across Sectors: St. Thomas-Elgin’s success is a testament to the power of partnerships between government, non-profits, service providers, and the private sector.
- Housing Focused Street Outreach Response: Working in partnership between St. Thomas-Elgin Social Services, Housing Stability Services area and the St. Thomas Police Service, Community Resource Unit, St. Thomas has an active housing-focused outreach approach that continuously connects with people experiencing unsheltered homelessness, engages them quickly and works with each person to identify their needs and develop housing and support plans with the aim of moving them into shelter and ultimately housing as quickly as possible. By being proactive, investing in supportive housing, and creating low barrier shelter space, St. Thomas has seen success in rapid resolution of unsheltered homelessness.
- Ambitious Housing Investment: By working together with all levels of government, local non-profits and for-profit builders, St. Thomas has invested in adding an additional 150 net new supportive and affordable housing units as the permanent solution to ending homelessness. These new units are anticipated to come online throughout 2025 and 2026. Through intentional and collaborative tenancy selection processes, these units will support the community’s goal of reducing and functionally ending homelessness.
A Model for Others
As communities across Canada grapple with rising homelessness and the challenges of encampments, St. Thomas-Elgin stands out as a beacon of hope. Their experience proves that with strong leadership and a focus on permanent solutions, it’s possible to make meaningful progress.
Mayor Preston’s journey of reflection and his commitment to evidence-based solutions remind us that leadership requires humility and the courage to change course when needed. His words and actions are a testament to what can be achieved when a community puts people first.
The story of St. Thomas-Elgin is not just about reducing homelessness—it’s about restoring hope, rebuilding trust, and showing that with the right approach, every person can have a place to call home.
For more on their success, check out these resources: