Waterloo Region approves $2.9 million plan for A Better Tent City

Regional Council approved a transition plan on June 24 that will bring A Better Tent City into Waterloo Region’s Housing Stability System and change how the tiny-home community is run day to day. The package includes $2.9 million in initial operating money for the site, $2.8 million for ancillary costs tied to low-barrier drop-in space and housing pathways, and $2.5 million in one-time capital funding subject to the 2027 budget process.

Waterloo Region tied the decision to its 2025 performance data, which showed 809 people moved into permanent housing from homelessness, including 390 people experiencing chronic homelessness, and a 61 per cent increase from 2022 to 2025 in the number of people it helped move from chronic homelessness into permanent housing.

ABTC’s board decided to wind down as a nonprofit by July 20, 2026, after operating the site became increasingly difficult and after significant health and safety challenges grew beyond the board’s ability to manage. The Working Centre will step in as operator on July 20, pending transition work and site assessments, while regional staff continue working with both organizations on a full assessment of the site’s needs and conditions before recommendations return to council.

ABTC began in April 2020, when people living rough, service providers, community members and municipal staff met with landlord Ron Doyle to discuss building a better tent city on an industrial lot in Kitchener. The project, the vision of the late Ron Doyle, was the first tiny-home community of its kind in Canada, and ABTC estimates there are about 18 similar communities. ABTC was incorporated as a charity in 2022 and the site has 42 insulated cabins.

ABTC supports about 55 residents and another 20 to 45 visitors, while regional staff said as many as 80 people may be on site at once. That balance was already under strain in September 2025, when ABTC paused visitors because daily guest numbers had become unmanageable.