Residents claim the city is failing to prioritize long-term solutions for the unhoused amongst plans for a homeless shelter.
Kingston’s plan to open a new 30-bed emergency homeless shelter at 924 Sydenham Road by the end of 2025 has been met with backlash from residents. In a July 8th City Council meeting, six residents spoke out in protest against the project and presented a petition with more than 1,000 signatures. They argued the site, adjacent to Cataraqui Cemetery, is unsuitable for a shelter, citing safety concerns in a neighbourhood of seniors, young families, schools, and historic cemeteries.
The city argued that the new shelter is part of a broader strategy to decentralize services and eventually close the Adelaide Street Shelter on 38 Cowdy Street. The closure coincides with the opening of 924 Sydenham Road, and according to the city, aligns with a long-term plan to transition residents towards permanent housing solutions.
City staff said the shelter will be run by a paid, contracted operator, yet to be chosen through the city’s Request for Proposals process. The operator will provide services such as meals, secure storage, and individualized support for adults experiencing homelessness, though the city has not yet detailed the exact nature of these supports.
“This shelter’s part of the city’s broader strategy to evolve emergency shelter and transitional housing services,” staff wrote in a statement to The Journal. “It’s intended as a bridge to more permanent housing solutions, including supportive housing.”
During the meeting, the Councillors debated two motions on the shelter. Councillor Ryan Chaves brought motion one to replace the 924 Sydenham Road shelter plan with affordable housing, which ultimately failed with 5–8 votes. Second, Mayor Bryan Paterson’s motion to proceed with the shelter, subject to a six-month review with police, bylaw, and a community liaison committee, passed 13–0.
READ MORE: Kingston to open 30-bed emergency shelter by year’s end, city says
Local residents of Cataraqui North, such as John Armstrong, worry that the shelter will do more harm than good.
“Where shelters go, issues follow—from uncontrolled drug use to inappropriate behaviour, to encampments. These challenges will spill into our parks, playgrounds, and streets,” Armstrong told Council on July 8.
In an e-mail to The Journal, Armstrong reiterated that the project is “a mistake and potentially will ruin the historic cemetery which is adjacent to it. The city could have done much better.” In the same e-mail from Armstrong, residents also criticized the lack of prior consultation from the city.
“Despite repeated requests for openness, [the Kingston] Council continues to make costly property transactions behind closed doors—leaving both residents and unhoused citizens without a coherent, fair, or sustainable strategy,” he wrote.
Residents argue that the lack of transparency has consistently dated back to March 5, when an article in The Kingstonist reported that the council rejected a co-op housing proposal at 900 Division St. and instead sold it for $1.5 million to an undisclosed housing developer. The Council committed that proceeds would go to finance other affordable housing projects.
City staff have defended the site selection in a statement to The Journal, citing the Council’s 2023–2026 Strategic Plan, which calls for distributing services across Kingston. The 924 Sydenham site, according to city staff, meets criteria for transit access, redevelopment potential, and smaller-scale operation.
The Journal requested an interview or statement from Mayor Paterson about the discourse surrounding the shelter, but he declined to comment.
Tags
924 Syndenham, homeless shelter, shelter, Unhoused
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