City officials say collaboration, supportive housing and partnerships are paying off
For the first time, municipal figures show more people in St. Thomas are moving into housing than are becoming homeless — a development city leaders called a significant milestone in what has been an ongoing, multi-year effort to reduce street and shelter homelessness.
The City reported that roughly 79 people have moved into housing so far in 2026 while about 69 people were identified as becoming homeless during the same period. Officials attributed the shift to a coordinated approach that combines shelter capacity, rapid transitions into supportive housing and partnerships with provincial and federal programs as well as community organisations.
“This is proof that when a community comes together with a shared plan and shared compassion, we can change the course of something as difficult as homelessness,”
St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston said the figures demonstrate progress while cautioning that work remains to reach the community’s longer-term goals.
What the city has done
City staff and partners have pursued a strategy modelled on national best practices and aimed at quickly moving people from crisis situations into stable, service-linked housing. In recent years the municipality has focused on three broad areas:
- Increasing shelter spaces and emergency response capacity;
- Accelerating the transition from shelter to supportive and affordable housing;
- Co-operating with provincial and federal funding streams, plus local non-profits and service providers, to deliver wraparound supports.
One visible example cited by the city is supportive and affordable housing developed at 21 Kains Street, a project pictured by media in October 2025. City officials say developments like this are part of the effort to provide not just a roof but the supports people need to remain housed.
Numbers and local context
| Metric | Count (2026 year-to-date) |
|---|---|
| People moved into housing | 79 |
| People identified as becoming homeless | 69 |
Municipal officials framed the shift as a turning point because it means, at least for the reporting period, the inflow into homelessness is lower than the number being placed into homes. That balance is a key metric in regional and national strategies aimed at achieving a so-called "functional end" to homelessness, where the system sustains housing placements faster than new occurrences.
City leaders emphasised that the progress reflects both planning and the practical work of service providers on the ground. The municipality has participated in a national program — built around measuring inflow and outflow and aligning services to needs — that has guided its approach in recent years.
Next steps and remaining challenges
Officials acknowledged ongoing challenges: keeping newly housed residents supported, sustaining funding streams, and preventing returns to homelessness. The mayor said a continued collaborative approach is required to maintain momentum and ensure the results are durable.
Local service organisations, shelter operators and municipal staff must continue coordinating intake, housing placement and supports such as mental health and addiction services. City spokespeople also pointed to the importance of keeping housing development "ready to go" when funding and approvals line up.
For residents of St. Thomas, the change in these headline numbers offers a cautious measure of optimism. While the city still faces the complexity of homelessness, officials say the new data suggest the municipality is moving closer to the outcome it has been prioritising: more people housed, fewer people left without a home.
