A special council meeting on Monday, August 11 gave residents a chance to weigh in on a 50-unit supportive housing project planned for George Street, now being led by Indwell Community Homes following the County of Lambton’s donation of the property earlier this year. The session was called after a July 21 motion from Councillor George […]
A special council meeting on Monday, August 11 gave residents a chance to weigh in on a 50-unit supportive housing project planned for George Street, now being led by Indwell Community Homes following the County of Lambton’s donation of the property earlier this year. The session was called after a July 21 motion from Councillor George Vandenberg to hold a full public consultation with neighbours, stakeholders, and other interested persons before the project proceeds.
Mayor Mike Bradley opened the meeting by clarifying it was not part of any formal planning process.
“This is not a statutory planning meeting. There is nothing in front of council as it relates to any rezoning. This is an information meeting,” he said.
The morning began with a presentation from Lambton County staff on the scale of the community’s housing needs: 2,490 net new affordable housing units are required to meet demand; 1,008 households are on the centralized waiting list, with 96.5% seeking homes in Sarnia; and 294 individuals are on the By-Name List tracking homelessness, with more than 70% of those households experiencing chronic homelessness.
“We are facing a housing and homelessness crisis and the most effective response to homelessness is access to permanent housing, especially housing that includes supports,” said Melissa Fitzpatrick, the County’s new general manager of social services.
Melissa Johnson, Lambton County’s housing services manager, explained that while the department does provide supports within its housing, it does not offer the level of supports recommended in the County’s Housing Plan. To address that gap, the County issued an RFP to select a supportive housing agency to assist with pre-development, planning, design, funding, construction, and ongoing operations. Indwell Community Homes was selected as the successful proponent in June 2024, and in May 2025 County Council approved donating the George Street property to Indwell for a supportive housing project.
The County’s presentation was followed by a pre-recorded message from Jeff Neven, chief executive officer of Indwell Community Homes.
“For the last number of years, a number of your neighbours have been reaching out and coming to our activities across southwestern and southern Ontario saying, ‘We have a challenge… we believe that you’re the best to help us deal with that,’” Neven said.
He highlighted how Indwell residents have integrated into their neighbourhoods elsewhere, adding: “We know the stories in many of the communities we are in of tenants organizing litter pickup groups, baking muffins for local school programs, and so many different ways that they give back.”
The first neighbour to take the microphone in opposition was Chris Beausoleil, who voiced strong concerns about the George Street proposal.
“This proposal is not for the muffin bakers and housesitters. It is for people who struggle with drug addiction or serious mental health issues or a history of crime or a combination of the three,” he said, adding that in his view the project was “doomed to fail.”
Beausoleil said residents of the George Street neighbourhood are fighting and will “continue to fight this project with everything in their power.”
After several residents spoke in opposition, Wendy McKay offered a different perspective, stressing the need for stability as the foundation for recovery and reintegration.
“Until somebody has supportive housing, until they have safety, until they have food security, they cannot begin to address their mental health and addictions, employment, and never mind education,” she said.
Jim Curran, director of Connect Sarnia, the former Nightlight drop-in centre on Christina Street, also voiced his support.
“I am fully supportive of Indwell coming to our community and the fantastic work they do. They are not perfect, nor would I expect perfection — I don’t let best get in the way of better. What we don’t need in this community is more division or fighting over the location, whether it’s north, south, east, or west.”
Lois Nantais, a professor of psychology at Lambton College and the Liberal candidate in Sarnia–Lambton in the 2021 federal election, also spoke in support of the project. She said her years teaching poverty awareness at the post-secondary level have shown her that “the actual costs associated with remedial strategies like jail time, emergency services, and shelters far exceed the cost of supportive housing and related services.”
One of the most emotional presentations of the night came from Jennie Das, who spoke about her daughter’s journey and the role Indwell played in it. Das described how her daughter’s life was upended by a severe mental health crisis while completing her master’s degree, leaving her withdrawn, fearful of support systems, and struggling to regain her independence.
When the family planned to relocate to Sarnia, her daughter faced the prospect of homelessness. She applied to Indwell and, in 2015, moved into a studio apartment in Hamilton. Das said that stability allowed her daughter to rebuild her life, eventually completing a PhD and a second master’s degree and securing her first full-time job.
“We will be forever thankful to Indwell for having provided that for her. Our daughter is now the one giving back to society, improving the lives of others through her work, and we’re extremely proud of the person she’s become,” Das said tearfully.
She urged council and the public to see Indwell’s arrival in Sarnia as an opportunity rather than a threat. “I see the fact that Indwell is willing to come out this way and help us as an incredible opportunity for Sarnia. They know how to do this work well.”
After Das spoke, Councillor Bill Dennis, attending virtually due to a ban on in-person participation, interjected to question whether supporters of the project lived in the George Street neighbourhood.
The next presenter, Tyler Whetham-Trombley, said he did. “I live on McKenzie Street, one block away from River City and roughly a block and a half away from the proposed Indwell site and I am in favour of Indwell being there,” he told council.
The next presenter, Crystal Heimbecker, co-director of Warm Hearts, said she has lived in Sarnia’s south end her entire life and works daily with the unhoused. She told council Indwell is “needed here,” and stressed that its model offers one-on-one support tailored to each resident’s needs. “We have the ability to shape the experience we have with Indwell if we choose — or we can just go around continuing to see them on the streets,” she said.
Former city councillor and Sarnia Journal owner Nathan Colquhoun began his presentation by inviting his young son to speak. The boy told council about his friend Chris, a homeless man he met while he was sleeping under a tree outside city hall. Chris became part of their lives for about a year before he was murdered in 2024, a death Colquhoun said happened “because he didn’t have a house.”
After his son stepped down, Colquhoun turned to Councillor Bill Dennis, who was attending virtually, and said, “You don’t live in this neighbourhood either, so you can (expletive) off.” He went on to criticize those opposing the George Street project, questioning why people would try to block something “good for the city” and suggesting they should take up hobbies instead. His microphone was cut after he made a sexually explicit remark toward opponents of the project.
As he left the podium, Colquhoun lifted his shirt, a gesture he later described as a protest against what he called the “absurdity” of the meeting.
The next presenter, Jason Thompson, stressed that opposition voices did not represent the entire South End. Drawing on his own experience with addiction and homelessness, he said the “biggest turning point” in his recovery was having a stable home near supports. Supportive housing, he added, “is not perfect, but it is a practical, evidence-based approach” that can reduce harm for residents and the wider community.
Housing advocate John DeGroot reminded council of the city and county’s repeated commitments to make housing a top priority. “Our record isn’t good,” he said, pointing to past reversals on affordable housing projects in Sarnia. DeGroot also highlighted Indwell’s proven track record in other Ontario communities, noting examples in Simcoe, St. Thomas and London where the organization has successfully developed supportive housing and been invited back to do more.
Myles Vanni, executive director of the Inn of the Good Shepherd, told council he lives just a few blocks from the proposed site and understands residents’ concerns. But he called the Indwell project “a real chance to make an impact on homelessness,” arguing that supportive housing is the missing link in Sarnia’s continuum of care. “Increased crime has been in our community precisely because of the lack of supports and programs such as this,” he said, noting that Indwell developments in other cities have seen neighbourhood crime rates drop by addressing root causes rather than “just plying band-aids.”
Council heard from 35 presenters during the nearly three-hour session. No votes were taken.
“This is not a planning hearing,” Mayor Mike Bradley said in closing. “If there are applications, the full planning process will unfold on any of these sites.”
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