The city of London's homeless winter response plan has created a battle between a councillor and multiple agencies serving women in the community.
Last week, Ward 4 Councillor Susan Stevenson wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that she had voted against the city's winter response because of a $500,000 contract with SafeSpace London - which describes itself as "a volunteer, peer support centre with/for sex workers, allies & women & gender non-conforming folx (sic)."
On Friday, Jennifer Dunn, the executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre, sent a letter to London Mayor Josh Morgan outlining her concerns with Stevenson's post.
"The London Abused Women's Centre believes this statement is harmful to women and girls in our community and implies that Councillor Stevenson does not support women and crisis and meeting women where they are at," Dunn wrote.
"Supporting women and girls where they are at should be a priority in this city, especially women in crisis," Dunn wrote at the end of he letter. "This is why the London Abused Women's Centre recommends a review of Councillor Stevenson's ability to represent Ward 4 in the City of London."
The Mayor and city council can only reprimand Stevenson if the city's integrity commissioner finds she has broken the council code of conduct. The harshest reprimand is a loss of 90 days pay.
Dunn, who has been the Executive Director of LAWC since September of 2021, also sent the letter to the integrity commissioner.
In response on Monday morning, Stevenson called into question Dunn's leadership of the organization.
"Using taxpayer money to establish and fully-fund part-time shelters exclusively for women sex workers does not make #LdnOnt a Safer City for Women and Girls. Instead it incentivizes vulnerable women to enter the commercial sex industry, enables human trafficking, and makes life easier for traffickers and sex purchasers," Stevenson wrote on X. "Under past leadership, the London Abused Women’s Centre not only understood that, but championed that message across Canada. It is a shame to see LAWC turn their back on that legacy."
SafeSpace also posted on X Monday morning, calling Stevenson's posts "divisive rhetoric" that is "eroding the trust that vulnerable populations, and those that serve then, place in people holding positions of power."
Stevenson is no stranger to controversy during her time on council.
She was first elected in 2022, and has since been the subject of multiple integrity commissioner complaints.
However, she has never been found to be in violation of the council code of conduct. Several complaints are yet to be resolved.
