Local reaction to Dundas Street homeless shelter mixed

Lee Griffi, Editor

Some Woodstock residents have responded positively to the announcement of a future homeless shelter on Dundas Street in the city, but the opposition has been just as loud.

For the owners of Mostly Flowers across the street from the former YMCA, who just purchased the business last August, it raises some flags. Jessica Patterson and Renee Farmer said they had no idea about the plan to purchase the building. Farmer added many homeless people she has met have hearts of gold, but those with addiction and mental health issues do pose a safety risk.

“I used to work at a flower shop that was across the street from a men’s shelter in London, and it was dangerous. Some of them would come in and yell at the flowers and the plants. What are our hours going to be? Who’s going to be hanging around our parking lot? We don’t know what’s going on, and we can’t trust that they are all going to be nice.”

The pair are also concerned about the shop being negatively impacted from a sales standpoint, along with the safety of their staff, who are all women.

“They obviously aren’t considering the impact on the people living and running a business in this area,” said Patterson. “Downtown Woodstock has a bad reputation already, and there are some stores that are hurting because of it.”

The pair explained one of the main reasons they purchased Mostly Flowers was the location and are concerned more homeless people will come to Woodstock to take advantage of the new shelter. They added they have already had problems behind the store with drug use and vandalism.

“We found crack pipes and needles, and we’ve had to put a lock on our cooler switch because they would turn it off,” said Farmer. “We have had to ask some to leave the property and have also had to call the police,” she added.

The pair support the shelter in principle but feel it should be located away from homes and businesses. They also would have liked to have been consulted by the county.

Oxford County Warden Marcus Ryan said he understands the concerns of the people living and doing business near the future site, just like those in the area of the two current shelters.

“The real answer to this is let’s not have homeless people. Let’s not have people with addiction and mental health issues. When I first ran for council in 2014, there were probably a handful of people in the county experiencing this. The real issue isn’t where you put this, its we shouldn’t have this problem.”

Ryan added no matter where the county puts the facility, there’s a problem.

“And they’re not wrong. Somebody’s going to live next door to it and say I don’t want it here. And they’re not wrong. I totally get that. Yet, we still have the problem. Some people contact (us) about the current locations and complain. At any new proposed location, the same thing would happen. To some extent, as a council, we are stuck with the fact we are going to make someone unhappy.”

He defended the location of the former YMCA, saying that if it were located on the outskirts of the community, homeless people would not use the resource.

“You have to find a location that is adjacent to downtown areas where the homeless population typically resides. Additionally, we are going to own this property. The other two, we don’t, so we are limited in how we can control them in terms of access, security and property maintenance. We can control how it's used.”

Ryan added ownership of the property would also allow for the possibility of installing fencing, hedges, or other screening measures to help control access and improve security.

“It’s going to be a county-owned building and if people complain that it's messy or unsightly, then phone the county, your county councillor or the warden to complain, and we will fix it up. Right now, we can’t do that.”

“For me, this issue comes down to compassion and public health. Homelessness is not just a political debate — these are real people, real families, and often people struggling with trauma, mental illness, addiction, poverty, or impossible housing costs,” said Tracey Sherman, a Woodstock resident with a son who struggles with homelessness and the issues that come with it.

“A shelter means safer nights, access to support services, connection to healthcare, stability, and a chance for people to begin rebuilding their lives. It also benefits the broader community by connecting vulnerable people with proper supports instead of leaving them to struggle alone in parks, doorways, libraries, emergency rooms, or downtown spaces,” she added.

Sherman said she’s thankful leaders are willing to make difficult decisions with compassion and humanity at the centre of them.

“These decisions are never easy, and I respect that they understood the reality that if every shelter proposal became a prolonged public battle, nothing would ever get built. We cannot keep saying we want to help people while rejecting every possible solution.”

She added that, at some point, communities have to decide whether to prioritize discomfort and property concerns or prioritize the people suffering the most.

“I believe a compassionate community is one that steps up for vulnerable people, even when it’s difficult, and I’m proud to see leadership willing to do that.”

A homeowner close to the site, who did not want to be identified, said he had several concerns about the announcement.

“I worry about the back parking lot. I work with people who have disabilities, and I feel for people who don’t have homes and are struggling. But every time I drive home, I see people by the church high on fentanyl, and I don’t want my daughter to see that. I moved from London and I love this place. I invested my entire life savings into this home.”

He added he is also concerned about the value of his home decreasing as a result of living close to a homeless operation. What he hopes is that the renovation plan will include security fencing for the back parking lot.

“What would be a win-win for both sides in terms of safety would be a gated back fence and a fenced-in gated entry for staff only. If it is gated, there aren’t going to be people walking in and around the back. All the clients would be funnelled to the front entrance.”

He added the county should have consulted with property owners and businesses before deciding on the purchase.

“Absolutely, but that right was taken from us, and that was not cool. At the same time, I am trying to look at it from council’s perspective. There is a huge problem, and there is a huge building that has been sitting empty. But it is obviously going to damage people here financially.”

Ryan said residents with ideas on how to proceed with the renovation of the site should contact the county or a county councillor.