38 Cowdy Street

Ongoing Engagement

Upcoming community meeting dates are posted on the right side of this page, under Key Dates. Questions can be shared using the question tool below. Staff will aggregate questions by theme and respond through the frequently asked questions section of this project page.

Meeting notes, presentations, council reports and news releases will be shared through the links and related documents section of this project page.

Future Use

Short‑Term Use After Shelter Closure

  • Following wind-down of emergency shelter services at 38 Cowdy Street, the building has been closed to the public.
  • On March 24, 2026, Council approved a short‑term

Ongoing Engagement

Upcoming community meeting dates are posted on the right side of this page, under Key Dates. Questions can be shared using the question tool below. Staff will aggregate questions by theme and respond through the frequently asked questions section of this project page.

Meeting notes, presentations, council reports and news releases will be shared through the links and related documents section of this project page.

Future Use

Short‑Term Use After Shelter Closure

  • Following wind-down of emergency shelter services at 38 Cowdy Street, the building has been closed to the public.
  • On March 24, 2026, Council approved a short‑term (up to 6 months) lease with Lionhearts Inc. to allow vocational laundry services to continue temporarily while they transition to a new location. The vocational laundry provides laundry services for local shelters and does not serve individuals.
  • During this time, the full site — including Frontenac Parkette — remains closed.

Planned Redevelopment of the Site

Based on building condition, safety considerations, and community feedback, staff are recommending that Council reaffirm the original long‑term vision for the property:

  • Demolish the former school building (planned for Q4 2026).
  • Expand Frontenac Parkette, creating a larger neighbourhood park.
  • Sever and sell a small portion of the property along Cowdy Street for future residential development.
  • Reinvest all proceeds from the housing land sale into park development.

  • Near Neighbour community meeting invitation letter

    The following letter was mailed by Canada Post to approximately 450 properties in a 6 block radius around the Adelaide Street Shelter (properties within the Division, Patrick, Quebec, Montreal and Russell Streets). If you live in the community and didn't receive a letter, please contact us to ensure that you are added to our mailing list.

    Hello Community Members,

    Last September, we reached out to share updates regarding the temporary emergency shelter located at 38 Cowdy Street, known as the Adelaide Street Shelter. We would like to share further updates with you, and invite you to attend a near neighbour meeting. At this meeting, City staff will provide updates on the shelter wind down timelines and review the operational changes that have been made at the shelter to address concerns shared with us from both community members and shelter users.

    The meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School Cafeteria (130 Russell St.) from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

    As the operators of Adelaide Street Shelter, representatives from Lionhearts will also be in attendance. Following the staff led updates, there will be time for follow up questions and one-on-one discussions.

    Keeping the community updated is important to us, and we’ve created a new page on Get Involved Kingston that will launch on May 7 and is focused on sharing updates about 38 Cowdy Street. Through this site we will share near neighbour meeting presentations, Council reports, news releases, updates around shelter operations and the wind down timeline updates and share answers to frequency asked questions. Visit GetInvolved.CityofKingston.ca/38-Cowdy-Street and click Follow Project to sign up for email updates.

    We look forward to connecting with you on May 13.

    Sincerely,

    Jayne Hartley

    Director, Housing & Social Services

    City of Kingston

    The following letter was mailed by Canada Post to approximately 450 properties in a 6 block radius around the Adelaide Street Shelter (properties within the Division, Patrick, Quebec, Montreal and Russell Streets). If you live in the community and didn't receive a letter, please contact us to ensure that you are added to our mailing list.

    Hello Community Members,

    Last September, we reached out to share updates regarding the temporary emergency shelter located at 38 Cowdy Street, known as the Adelaide Street Shelter. We would like to share further updates with you, and invite you to attend a near neighbour meeting. At this meeting, City staff will provide updates on the shelter wind down timelines and review the operational changes that have been made at the shelter to address concerns shared with us from both community members and shelter users.

    The meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School Cafeteria (130 Russell St.) from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

    As the operators of Adelaide Street Shelter, representatives from Lionhearts will also be in attendance. Following the staff led updates, there will be time for follow up questions and one-on-one discussions.

    Keeping the community updated is important to us, and we’ve created a new page on Get Involved Kingston that will launch on May 7 and is focused on sharing updates about 38 Cowdy Street. Through this site we will share near neighbour meeting presentations, Council reports, news releases, updates around shelter operations and the wind down timeline updates and share answers to frequency asked questions. Visit GetInvolved.CityofKingston.ca/38-Cowdy-Street and click Follow Project to sign up for email updates.

    We look forward to connecting with you on May 13.

    Sincerely,

    Jayne Hartley

    Director, Housing & Social Services

    City of Kingston

Page last updated: 05 Jun 2026, 02:33 PM