ment to supporting housing initiatives in St. Thomas. “The province has been phenomenal in helping us get these projects off the ground,” he said. “We’re always ready with the next project, so when new funding opportunities come up, we can say yes immediately. That’s one of the reasons we’re ahead of so many other communities.” Despite the positive impact of the project, some residents have expressed concerns about having a supportive housing development in their neighbourhood. Mayor Preston countered the ‘not in my backyard’ sentiment with a compelling argument: “In other communities, that vacant schoolyard would be full of homeless people. I’d rather have them housed inside that historic building.” He encouraged residents to attend an upcoming open house to learn more about Indwell and its track record of successful community integration. He also pointed to the success of previous Indwell projects in St. Thomas. “The vast majority of people living near Rail City Lofts barely even notice the building’s residents,” he said. “We’ve seen firsthand how well Indwell manages high-acuity homelessness, and I believe this project will be just as successful.” Jeffrey Neven explains why he thinks St. Thomas is a unique city. “Over the last few years, we as a community have reduced homelessness by 30% because of a strong vision from elected officials and city staff/leadership and a coordinated and ambitious community services sector. St. Thomas has led the way in putting forward resources of properties and capital contributions that have attracted funding from all other levels of government and private donors, too. Together, Indwell has joined so many other wonderful social service and healthcare organizations in St. Thomas to carry out a vision of ending homelessness in a permanent and compassionate way.“ The Balaclava Street School project represents another step toward St. Thomas’s ambitious goal of reaching ‘functional zero’ homelessness. “We are determined to get to zero homelessness in our community while other places are still struggling with encampments,” said Mayor Preston. “It’s a moving target, but anyone who wants housing and follows the process to get it will have a place to live. That’s what zero means to us.”
isolation. “They even offer anti-boredom programs because boredom can lead to mental health issues or relapse into addiction. It’s about creating a family- like environment for people who may not have had that kind of support before.” Funding remains a challenge for projects of this scale, but Mayor Preston praised the provincial government for its commit-
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Hometown St. Thomas • May 2025 • Page 31
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