Another setback for advocates of Conestoga huts to house homeless Londoners
CTV
Another setback for those trying to find a solution to those without shelter.
“This is my place,” said Gary Turner proudly as he unlocked the small door to his homemade Conestoga hut. “I can stand up in here and I’m six feet tall.”
He’s spent 52 consecutive nights living in the round-topped wooden shelter in a parking lot in London’s Old East Village.
Turner appeared as a delegate in front of city council’s Community and Protective Services Committee speaking in support of a motion by Coun. Michael van Holst that called for a pilot project evaluating the use of tiny homes and Conestoga huts as safer options for Londoners living in tents.
“They aren't meant to solve the problem, they are meant to ease the burden,” explained Turner, who admits they aren’t suitable for everyone living unsheltered.
His hut lacks plumbing, but has an outdoor composting toilet and electricity provided by an adjacent building.
Civic administration told councillors on the committee that the Ontario Building Code does not apply to such small structures, but questions about zoning sites for a group of Conestoga huts or tiny homes have yet to be formally considered.
Deputy City Manager of Social and Health Development, Kevin Dickins, advised that his staff and the staff of external frontline agencies are facing burnout and can’t accommodate another pilot project at this time.
