‘An outhouse is one of the best things’: Temporary homeless depots begin in city parks - CTV News [2023-07-04]

A meal, water and a portable washroom was a nice surprise for Neil Hammell, who is living in an encampment off Wellington Valley Park in London, Ont., near the Thames River.

“There’s no clean down here, there’s just different levels of dirty,” said Hammell, who has been living in a tent for the past two months after losing his roommates and no longer being able to rent a home.

“The outhouse brings it up a notch, and that’s one of the best things right now,” he added.

It’s day one of a program to bring basic human needs to those living rough.

City council approved $100,000 for London Cares and the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) to fund the strategy which will set up in parks for 90 minutes per day.

An additional $255,000 has been approved from a reserve fund for garbage cleanup.