July 27, 2020

Council Meeting – Item 10.2

Additional Information

Mayor Dilkens and City Council

Windsor, Ontario

Re: Agenda Item 10.2 - Emergency Shelter Review Report (C 145/2020)

Your Worship, Mayor Dilkens and Members of Council,

My name is Mike Morency and I am the Executive Director of Matthew House Refugee Centre in Windsor. I am writing to express concern that the Emergency Shelter Review Report, as being presented today is incomplete, and therefore, not a sufficient basis for drawing conclusions about our current homeless system, or our current and future needs.

Before I detail my concerns, I would like to take this opportunity to publically thank Mayor Dilkens and the City of Windsor for approving the request by Matthew House and Angela Rose House, to bathe City Hall in blue light on June 20th, in honour of World Refugee Day 2020. Our new City Hall joined 23 other municipal buildings and landmarks across Canada in celebrating the strength and courage of refugees, as well as the incredible benefit they bring to our communities. You declared Windsor that continues to be a welcoming community, full of opportunity for those who wish to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient, contributing residents.

I am a firm believer that to make the best decisions, we need all of the relevant information. As such, there is one line in the report that caused concern form me, especially as it is repeated on pages 4, 24, and 39. By stating that “…there are additional shelters with varying funding sources..” VINK Consulting is advising that the report does not provide a complete picture of homeless services in Windsor-Essex. In fact, in conversation with Ms. Vink, I was advised her work focused exclusively on the shelter services funded by the City. As Matthew House Refugee Centre is one of the agencies that were relegated to what amounts to a disclaimer, I felt it important to provide you with further information to provide a more complete picture and to participate in creating positive community solutions moving forward.

Since 2003, Matthew House has provided a welcoming home for 1,001 men, women, and children who arrived in Canada seeking safety and a fresh start, and who would have otherwise ended up in City funded homeless shelters. While our mandate is to provide shelter and settlement supports for refugee claimants and precarious migrants, this number does not include the families who have been burnt out of their homes, women fleeing domestic violence, young people awaiting intake with other programs, and other homeless individuals we have sheltered when city funded shelters have been full.

Matthew House uses a person first, “Home and Family,” model to provide temporary housing (45-90 days), settlement supports, and connection to community for Refugee Claimants, and other homeless individuals. The five core principles of Housing First provide the framework for our model,