Arrangements made for all displaced tenants of Ouellette apartment; emergency shelter closes

City of Windsor officials say a temporary emergency shelter is closing as arrangements have been made for all tenants displaced from the apartment building at 1616 Ouellette Avenue.

On Nov. 22, building officials ordered the evacuation of the private four-story apartment building when heat, electricity and life safety systems were all failing.

City officials worked with the Canadian Red Cross to open a temporary emergency shelter for as many as 45 residents, who were unable to find alternate accommodations of their own immediately.

“This has been a very difficult time for many of the displaced tenants, but none of this could have been done without our dedicated and compassionate City of Windsor staff and our partner agencies who worked countless hours to ensure that every tenant’s needs were met,” said Andrew Daher, commissioner of Human and Health Services.

For three weeks, the John Atkinson Memorial Community Centre provided a temporary emergency shelter where residents received three meals a day, clothing, medical care and relocation supports. The last of the remaining residents were offered alternate safe accommodation options today.Emergency shelter at the John Atkinson Memorial Community Centre. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)

Orders against occupancy remain in place for 1616 Ouellette Avenue, but city officials say they continue to work closely with the owners and their management group to complete any outstanding repairs as quickly as possible.