Neighbours Looking Out for One Another

Hi everyone! Thank you for welcoming me back into the pages of The Mom & Caregiver magazine.

It’s been another special summer, with neighbours gathering in parks, community celebrations and evenings outdoors. We celebrated new playgrounds, trails, gathering places and accessible amenities through our Neighbourhood Parks Improvement Fund, another reminder that the best investments are in places that bring us together.

As we head into a new school year, one question I hear often is about homelessness. Families want to know they’re raising their children in a city that’s responding with compassion while keeping neighbourhoods safe. I believe those goals go hand in hand.

London’s approach focuses on helping people move indoors, stabilize their health and rebuild their lives. We’ve found proven partners like Indwell, recently credited for some of St Thomas’ success, to expand supportive housing with health care, mental health and addiction supports. Today, communities like SoHo and Coves Landing are bringing stability while reducing pressure on hospitals and emergency services.

This year also marked the opening of London’s micro-modular shelter community, offering safe shelter, health care, mental health and employment supports. Early results show fewer people living in encampments, more moving toward permanent housing, and a strong community forming.

None of this replaces the need for more homes, so we’re building across the spectrum, from market-rate to supportive. Every new home creates opportunity, larger housing supply helps moderate costs, and we’ve added or are building more than 3300 affordable homes across London.

Municipalities can’t solve this alone, but we’re responding to immediate needs while pressing other governments for long-term solutions. We’ve provided stopgap funding to keep programs like House of Hope and Ark Aid operating while advocating for more treatment, recovery and supportive services. We’re also preparing for winter with warming centres and connecting people with care before a crisis becomes an emergency.

My vision is a London where neighbours look out for one another, everyone can find hope and a place to call home, and families can build a safe life together. I know we can find that balance, and it’s something worth fighting for.

 

 

Josh Morgan, Mayor, City of London