His Honour Mayor Dilkens
Members of Council
O.C., J. Payne, T. Hunt

October 12, 2020

Greetings from the Mission,

For those of you unfamiliar, the Mission has played a significant role in assisting those experiencing homelessness and poverty in Windsor Essex since 1972, while our role has evolved over the years our core values remain the same in that we seek to provide for those in need. 
Covid has highlighted the need for our services and we are proud and grateful to have partnered with the City of Windsor utilizing the funds available from the Reaching Home funding in expanding our services during these trying times. While many groups were forced to close or reduce services offering them virtually the Mission stood firm in our conviction to assist when needed. Again, we are proud to not have missed even a single meal nor did we experience any loss of available beds in our 103-bed emergency shelter available to men, women, youth, and families.

As you also know the Emergency Shelter Review accepted by Council on July 27th has provided some interesting facts about our current system and the need for some changes to it, in addition they identify the Mission as playing a major role in the current system. With the study in hand we are seeking to relocate our current facilities located at 664 Victoria, 875 Ouellette, 842 Dufferin Place and 1247 Wyandotte St. East to a new location just outside of the City core at 1504 and 1540 McDougal Ave. We have an accepted offer of purchase and sale on the McDougall properties, the support of many of our business leaders, an agreement of purchase and sale on most of our current buildings and our vacant lot at 819 Ouellette ave.

With that in mind, I am writing today in the hopes that myself and some delegates can appear before council representing the United Church Downtown Mission Windsor Inc. and make an official request to waive the recently adopted Interim Control Bylaw # 103-2020 preventing a shelters relocation with out council approval. It is the hope of our Board of Directors to move forward as soon as possible with our new and much needed facility. We look forward to your response, thank you for your urgent attention to this matter.

Respectfully

Ron

Rev. Ron Dunn, Executive Director & CEO
United Church Downtown Mission Windsor Inc.