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The city of London calls it “matching and linking.” Another way to put it is “putting roofs over heads.”

One hundred and forty-five people showed up Monday at Silverwood Arena, looking for help finding a place to stay this winter. By the end of the day, two had moved into new quarters. Another 20 were in temporary accommodations, such as hotels.

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Craig Cooper, the city’s manager of homeless prevention, said he expected 150 people to show up on on the first day of the city’s Housing Stability Week. The city is providing free transportation to the arena in east London where people facing homelessness have access to a variety of services, such as an identification clinic, under one roof.

Based on the turnout on the first day, Cooper said he expects 750 people will be assessed by the end of the week.

The goal of the week-long blitz, a first for London, is to better understand the housing needs of the community and connect people with social services while creating a plan for them that could lead to permanent housing.