It’s been less than a month since a temporary homeless shelter opened its doors on Rose Street in Barrie, and it has been a welcome addition to the local shelter system.
The shelter, which is located near Bayfield Street and Highway 400, has room for up to 50 spaces. It officially opened on Dec. 23, 2022 and, so far, operation of the facility has been going smoothly, said Busby Centre executive director Sara Peddle.
“We have had up to 17 people there as of last night (Jan. 5) and we have a few more people going up today ... and we have also been full at our 88 Mulcaster St. location,” Peddle told BarrieToday.
The Rose Street beds are used once all permanent shelter beds in the city are full, she noted.
“We have been making sure people are either coming to 88 (Mulcaster) or one of the other shelters, and if there’s not room there then we are moving them up to Rose Street," Peddle said.
Although the Rose Street shelter is temporary, Peddle said they are happy to have the additional spaces for people to go when the permanent beds are all being used.
“We know there are still individuals that are staying outside right now," she said. "Our outreach people are still seeing about 50 people outside and, (with) the milder weather, we haven’t seen the demand as of yet, but we do anticipate that as the weather gets colder we will see more and more people coming in that will need shelter for the winter.”
Feedback from people using the additional space has been mostly positive, said Peddle, however she noted there have been some frustrations.
“They are happy to have somewhere to stay, so that’s the good thing, but there’s a little bit of frustration because it’s only open overnight,” she said, adding the facility is open nightly from 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. “There’s not a lot of day programming … so that’s one of the frustrations, but people are happy to have somewhere to be.”
The shelter does remain open during daytime hours during inclement weather situations and statutory holidays, she added.
Peddle told BarrieToday the Busby Centre has already seen two individuals move into permanent housing through the temporary shelter program, as well as several from 88 Mulcaster recently.
The Busby Centre, which runs the daily operation of the Rose Street shelter, is contracted until March 31, at which point the local organization and County of Simcoe will reassess the need.
“We will be revisiting with the county past (that date). If there is a need, then yes, we would like it to stay open, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself … with the hopes that people are going to get into housing and we will see a reduction in our homeless numbers," she said.
Peddle said the organization’s ultimate goal is to find housing for everyone, however if that’s not possible, she added they are committed to finding options for those who do seek shelter.
“Not everybody does want to access shelter, because it’s overwhelming. It’s a lot of people in a smaller space, and I can understand why that can be anxiety-inducing for people," she said. "We just hope that there are options for people who do want to come in and that we can meet the demand in the spring and summer.
“Ultimately, we are going to advocate that housing is the destination and we’d like to make sure that’s always the focus.”
The long-term plan for this site, located on the site of the former Barrie OPP detachment, will serve as an affordable housing development with other supports and services available, pending approvals.
This temporary initiative is funded by the County of Simcoe, with a contribution from the City of Barrie.
