Earlier this week, the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families went public with a complaint about the City of Windsor denying it funding for additional beds.
Now, Mayor Drew Dilkens is responding after the letter from Lady Laforet, dated May 8, saying she is disappointed with the city's decision to deny the shelter $192,000 a year.
Laforet said the shelter added eight beds in January at the request of the city's administration.
"We've been carrying eight additional beds, unfunded by any level of government, since January at the request of the city administration. It's not financially sustainable, but morally, it's been difficult for the staff knowing we are sunsetting the beds today."
On top of that, the shelter said it has seen a 59 per cent increase in discharges, and an 18 per cent increase in the number of people served. Laforet said in addition to the eight beds, the need exists to add another four."
"The centre has continued operating the additional beds without ongoing government funding support, despite increasing operational pressures and increasingly complex client needs," added Chair of the shelter's board, Dr Julie Fraser. "In 2025, the centre leveraged over $700,000 in donations, grants, and research funding to support the city's homelessness services. While the community continues to contribute generously, it was disappointing to learn the municipality cannot reinvest savings from federal and provincial funding, or the homelessness reserve, as those funds are already committed to other projects."
Dilkens insisted in his response that the Welcome Centre Shelter for Women and Families agreed to absorb the cost of the eight beds.
He claims the city allocates $1.6-million to the Welcome Centre annually, and on top of that, covers the shelter's building utility and maintenance costs, another $260,000 a year.
The city bought the former hotel property for $8-million in 2021 and invested $1.6-million to renovate the property for use as a shelter. As a result, the shelter expanded from 12 beds to 32 and 21 rooms for families.
"Late last year, the city suggested the Welcome Centre convert two under-utilized family rooms to eight beds for women to better align with the community needs during the winter months," wrote Dilkens. "At that time, the Welcome Centre agreed to this change without additional operating funding, but did request the city cover the cost of $7,000 to purchase the necessary beds. The Welcome Centre indicated they could absorb operating costs within the existing budget."
When the shelter asked the city earlier this month for funding to support 12 new beds, it was informed that the city had already allocated its funding for homelessness services. The city's municipal budget was approved in January.
Dilkens wrote that the city monitors shelter space on a daily basis, and currently, shelters are running at 89 per cent occupancy.
"This means approximately 21 beds remain open every night in addition to the 24/7 drop-in space provided at the Homelessness and Housing Help Hub and the Downtown Mission," he wrote. "I appreciate the service provided by all shelter operators. We are all working in a complex environment and dealing with some severe cases of mental health and addiction. In the specific case of the Welcome Centre, city council is your ally, and it is disappointing to be publicly criticized for not filling your funding shortfall, even as we remain one of your strongest advocates, partners, and funders."
