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‑termContinue reading

Ongoing Engagement

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.

May 13 Information Session Community Meeting Presentation Slides

On May 13, we hosted an Information Session at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic School from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to share updates about the Adelaide Street Shelter. The session was moderated by Jennifer Campbell, Commissioner, Community Services, and included opening remarks from District Councillor Gregory Ridge and a presentation by Jayne Hartley, Director, Housing and Social Services. Approximately 50 residents in the neighbourhood surrounding the Adelaide Street Shelter attended, and had the opportunity to ask questions of City staff, Kingston Police and Lionhearts. We sincerely appreciate the time that everyone took to attend the May 13 meeting.
While we work to compile all of the questions received during the meeting in order to theme and respond to concerns raised, we want to ensure that neighbours who weren't able to attend can access the presentation (which is included below). If you require the presentation in an alternate format, please contact us.
A commitment we made to residents during the meeting was to set up a follow up meeting to discuss and workshop together the issues and concerns brought forward. We are working now to book time and location for this meeting, and will share these details shortly. Please be sure to click Follow Project or contact us to receive these updates by email.
If you have questions about the shelter, please share them with us using the form here on Get Involved Kingston. To report a concern with clean up on public property, use our Service Request portal on MyKingston. Reports to Kingston Police can be filed online or by calling 613-549-4660. In emergencies, please call 911.

Slide 1: Information Session: Community Meeting Adelaide Street Shelter
Slide 2: Land Acknowledgement

Slide 3: Agenda and guidelines for participation

Slide 4: Location in neighbhourhood

Slide 5: Emergency housing responses

Slide 6: Current operations/services

Slide 7: Service disruption at Adelaide Street Shelter

Slide 8: Community concerns and support responses

Slide 9: concerns shared and responses

Slide 10: the future of 38 Cowdy Street

Slide 11: major milestones to closure of Adelaide Street Shelter

Slide 12: how can I be involved moving forward

Slide 12: Thank you and questions

On May 13, we hosted an Information Session at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic School from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to share updates about the Adelaide Street Shelter. The session was moderated by Jennifer Campbell, Commissioner, Community Services, and included opening remarks from District Councillor Gregory Ridge and a presentation by Jayne Hartley, Director, Housing and Social Services. Approximately 50 residents in the neighbourhood surrounding the Adelaide Street Shelter attended, and had the opportunity to ask questions of City staff, Kingston Police and Lionhearts. We sincerely appreciate the time that everyone took to attend the May 13 meeting.
While we work to compile all of the questions received during the meeting in order to theme and respond to concerns raised, we want to ensure that neighbours who weren't able to attend can access the presentation (which is included below). If you require the presentation in an alternate format, please contact us.
A commitment we made to residents during the meeting was to set up a follow up meeting to discuss and workshop together the issues and concerns brought forward. We are working now to book time and location for this meeting, and will share these details shortly. Please be sure to click Follow Project or contact us to receive these updates by email.
If you have questions about the shelter, please share them with us using the form here on Get Involved Kingston. To report a concern with clean up on public property, use our Service Request portal on MyKingston. Reports to Kingston Police can be filed online or by calling 613-549-4660. In emergencies, please call 911.

Slide 1: Information Session: Community Meeting Adelaide Street Shelter
Slide 2: Land Acknowledgement

Slide 3: Agenda and guidelines for participation

Slide 4: Location in neighbhourhood

Slide 5: Emergency housing responses

Slide 6: Current operations/services

Slide 7: Service disruption at Adelaide Street Shelter

Slide 8: Community concerns and support responses

Slide 9: concerns shared and responses

Slide 10: the future of 38 Cowdy Street

Slide 11: major milestones to closure of Adelaide Street Shelter

Slide 12: how can I be involved moving forward

Slide 12: Thank you and questions
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