38 Cowdy Street

Closure and New Emergency Housing Services

The City acquired property to facilitate the wind down of shelter operations at 38 Cowdy Street and transition beds to the new shelter as well as three Supportive Housing properties.

The first site the City acquired for this purpose was 924 Sydenham Road. When emergency shelter services open at this new location, the shelter beds offered at 38 Cowdy site were reduced.

On Sept. 7 2025, Council delegated authority to staff to execute and submit conditional offers for the purchase of single detached dwelling units to be used to advance the acquisition of supportive housing properties.

This approach ensured that the City could efficiently move forward purchases of single detached homes that were quickly transitioned to provide supportive housing services for individuals with low to medium acuity levels. These supportive housing units assist those individuals that have been residing within shelters for an extended period and that are typically ready to move through the housing continuum but have been unable to do so, due to a lack of supportive housing opportunities. These supportive housing units will not serve people with high acuity that are typically sheltering in encampments, but will create capacity in the shelter system, without adding new shelter locations and beds.

Ongoing Engagement

The City is committed to providing ongoing updates, receiving questions, and guiding a constructive community-led engagement process to the neighbourhood around 38 Cowdy Street. The intent is to ensure clear and consistent communication with the community about the shelter services currently offered at the site and the steps being taken toward winding down these operations and fully closing shelter services at 38 Cowdy Street.

Upcoming community meeting dates are posted on the right side of this page, under Key Dates. Questions about the current Adelaide Street Shelter operations or the wind down plan for the site 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 will be 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.