This was done to help provide up to 60 London homeless community members with shelter, warmth, community and basic necessities during these frigid winter months. These individuals can’t or won’t use traditional shelters or rented hotel rooms from London City Hall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luis’s donation was part of a $2.3 million winter plan for the homeless launched by London City Hall. They collaboratively worked alongside with numerous community agencies and volunteers in order to construct private shelters fabricated from construction trailers.

There are two pop-up shelter sites that have been created to support this initiative. The first site opened up back in December, 2020 and is located beside the Carling Heights Optimist Community Centre at 652 Elizabeth Street in London. The second site opened in mid-January, 2021 and is located beside the Men’s Mission at York and Colborne Street in London.

Each heated construction trailer have been divided into smaller rooms. Each room consists of a bed, a locker and a door. There are washrooms, showers and a laundry service located within a separate trailer. In order to accommodate common spaces, they have combined multiple trailers together in order to host up to 28 individuals throughout the day. They are being provided with internet access, 3 meals a day, visits from the London InterCommunity Health Centre twice per week and 24 hour staff/security.

There is hope that in the spring, these individuals will be transitioned into housing. In the meantime, these pop-up trailer shelters have been a life-line for the London homeless community who have or are currently occupying them.

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