London City Council has endorsed a community-led plan that will help bring 600 new highly supportive housing units to London over the next three years. The report, London’s Health and Homelessness Response: Highly Supportive Housing Plan, will set specific standards and expectations while serving as a guide for future highly supportive housing projects within the community.
Highly supportive housing is a critical part of the Whole of Community System Response, which is London’s roadmap to help the most marginalized Londoners move safely inside, become stabilized, supported, and connected to appropriate housing. It includes access to health and social services, such as mental health care, addiction treatment, educational resources, employment counselling and emergency food services. The goal is to provide support that will help residents achieve long-term housing stability.
Since March of 2023 when Council endorsed the Whole of Community System Response, 93 new highly supportive housing units have been established, including new units announced earlier this month at House of Hope. Upwards of 40 additional units are being planned through a partnership between Indwell and four major developers.
“This plan was developed with input from across the community, and reflects a growing understanding that housing is health care, and a fundamental human right. It outlines how we can implement a new solution to support our high-needs community members who have difficulty accessing stable health and housing resources. City Council’s endorsement of the highly supportive housing plan will help us bring even more units of highly supportive housing to our community, and more individuals indoors.”
Dean Astolfi, Director, Supportive Housing - Independent & Youth, CMHA Thames Valley Addiction & Mental Health Services and Co-Chair, Whole of Community System Response Housing Table
"I am deeply grateful to our community for coming together to develop this pivotal plan, which is going to help us greatly improve the quality of life for so many individuals in need while reducing the impacts of this crisis on our community as a whole."
Mayor Josh Morgan, City of London
“Last year our community came together and developed a new way to support the most marginalized unhoused Londoners and reduce strain on our health and judicial system, with a focus on action-based solutions. Now we’re implementing those solutions. Highly supportive housing is one of the main pillars of this new approach, and we’re already seeing its life-changing results.”
Scott Courtice, Executive Director, London InterCommunity Healthcare and Co-Chair, Whole of Community System Response Strategy and Accountability Table
The Highly Supportive Housing Plan was built upon feedback from individuals with lived and living experience of homelessness, to better reflect the needs of the people it aims to support. It defines what highly supportive housing is in London and what its functions are. It also identifies who needs it, outlines different ways individuals can end up in highly supportive housing; and provides recommendations for physical space design, as well as budget and costing.
The Whole of Community System Response is working to bring members of our community out of homelessness and into appropriate housing, with supportive services to help improve the lives of marginalized Londoners. The work of the Highly Supportive Housing Plan and the broader Whole of Community System Response will be measured and evaluated through a Council endorsed Evaluation Framework.
For more information on the Whole of Community System Response, visit london.ca.