38 Cowdy Street

Thank you for your ongoing interest in the 38 Cowdy Street project. We would like to provide a short update on clean-up work underway as well as community safety concerns.

Clean up measures:

The City is increasing its clean-up efforts around Adelaide Shelter from once every two weeks to once a week. Staff from Public Works will also remove items, garbage and debris that are left unattended in Frontenac Park.

The City is also working with Public Health to increase needle pick up both around Adelaide Street Shelter and within Frontenac Park. Public health will be conducting weekly sweeps in the area for the next four weeks. Then they will assess the need for ongoing sweeps based on data collection.

Outside of these sweeps you can also contact public health to report any needles as there are no guarantees that every needle will be found. To learn more about safe needle collection and disposal please refer to the needle safety website of Public Health.

Enforcement around daytime Sheltering in City parks:

Efforts continue around the shelter and in Frontenac Park to enforce the daytime prohibition on camping. City Bylaw staff, along with Street Outreach continue to visit the park daily with support from Kingston Police. The process for removing someone from the park follows the City’s encampment protocol.

The protocol is that if someone is found in violation of the Parks Use Bylaw, a Bylaw officer gives a six-hour notice to the individual to leave the site. During this time, Street Outreach and Housing & Social Services staff offer support for relocation. Following this Bylaw can then move to enforce the trespass notice. Given the time needed to follow this protocol, you may see a delay between Bylaw arriving to give notice and the final removal of tents and structures.

Please continue to reach out to City Bylaw and Kingston Police when you observe encampments and illegal behaviours. Staff will do our best to respond within a timely manner. More details about the City’s Encampment protocol are available on our website.

Site security services:

A security guard remains on site from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. City staff and Lionhearts are continuing to refine the scope of their duties, and areas of patrol. Their main role is to monitor the site to provide protection of the property and individuals using the shelter. The security guard has no enforcement powers and has been directed to call emergency supports if needed; including calls to Bylaw, Police, Fire and/or Paramedics.

Next community meeting:

We are continuing to plan for the next community meeting where we will workshop together how best to address continuing issues and concerns, provide updates on the winddown timeline and discuss opportunities for the future of the site once the shelter operations close. We hope to confirm the time and location for this meeting soon.

Adelaide Street Shelter will reopen for overnight shelter services and day services beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 15.

Restoration efforts at the Adelaide Street Shelter, located at 38 Cowdy St., have now been completed following a plumbing incident last week. Beginning tomorrow, May 15, at 9 a.m., overnight shelter services and day services operated by Lionhearts will resume at the Adelaide Street Shelter.

The shelter’s capacity will now be set at 55 beds, a reduction from previous numbers. This adjustment is based on the continued availability of emergency shelter options across all emergency shelters, and part of the larger plan to begin wind down of shelter services at the Adelaide Street Shelter by the end of 2025.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Lionhearts, the dedicated staff in the Housing & Social Services and the Facilities Management & Construction Services departments at the City, and all service providers who have worked tirelessly over the past week to ensure continued support for individuals accessing shelter services. Their commitment to community care and collaboration has been invaluable.

For more information, please call 613-483-8580.