A new plan to deal with social issues ranging from homelessness to addiction and mental health issues has the blessing of Barrie city council.
The now eight-part proposal was approved Monday night and comes with a range of measures to help people.
It replaces Coun. Mike McCann’s original pilot program to help end panhandling, criminal behaviour and drug dealing to create a safer downtown. It would have asked Barrie police for recommendations and would have included using paid-duty police officers or a private security company, from July to October.
Mary Anne Denny-Lusk, of the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness, called McCann’s pilot project harmful.
“Every person panhandling on the side of the road is in a more vulnerable position than those of us sitting in our locked vehicles at a red light,” she said. “And every person trying to sleep in a tent by the road or in the woods is more vulnerable than those of us tucked in our beds in our locked, climate-controlled houses.”
Council also heard Monday night from Sarah Tilley of The Gilbert Centre, a community-based, not-for-profit, charitable organization providing programs and services in Simcoe-Muskoka. It serves those affected by HIV, and those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities.
Tilley said the root problem should be familiar to council members.
“The issue at hand is lack of housing, not any of the resulting activities or behaviours such as panhandling, sex workers, sleeping on city property,” she said. “Specifically, there is a dire need for housing that is safe, affordable, sustainable and accessible. Since housing is unattainable for so many, it does not matter who you ask to make this problem go away. This will not change.”
But Daisy Oliveros, a Ward 2 resident who visits the downtown regularly, said council should take a second look at McCann’s proposal to increase police presence in the core.
“It would keep everybody safer,” she said. “Police don’t necessarily have to be arresting people or intimidating people, they (police) can be people who are approachable. They can be people who are there to help you.”
Council passed a motion Monday night that Barrie Police Service (BPS) be requested to present an implementation framework to city council outlining how they are going to carry out their legislated responsibility to meet the objectives of the provincially legislated City of Barrie community safety and well-being plan, and continued collaboration efforts with all service partners to support those experiencing mental health crisis, addiction and homelessness.
That as part of their 2023 budget, the Barrie Police Servives Board present council with a budget inclusive of the full complement of members required to support the community and safety well-being plan and implementation of the BPS strategic plan.
Correspondence would be sent to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) requesting them to connect with outreach workers in Barrie to followup with the needs of citizens staying within encampments along the Highway 400 ramps in order to address safety concerns as they arise and that a compassionate approach be taken in supporting people in these areas.
“We want services and outreach workers to be a main point of contact for vulnerable people living in these areas and that we want to see a compassionate approach and not just purely an enforcement approach to these issues,” said Coun. Keenan Aylwin.
But Coun. Sergio Morales said this part of the plan misses the point.
“I couldn’t disagree more,” he said. “This does not address the issue… and that is the panhandling on the Highway 400 ramps. It’s not what anybody should be doing and it’s what they have to do.
“Specifically on Highway 400 ramps, it is not the place for them to do it,” Morales said. “It is not safe for the people panhandling themselves or for people in vehicles.”
Coun. Robert Thomson said it might be a moot point anyway.
“These are just suggestions,” he said of council’s plan. “The OPP are going to do whatever they feel they need to to maintain the safety of everybody.”
Correspondence would also be sent to the provincial government and local MPPs requesting them to make increased investment in resourcing social service agencies and continuing to collaborate on the important work of improving discharge planning from provincial institutions, such as hospitals, correctional institutions and mental health facilities a priority.
The federal and provincial governments would also get correspondence requesting them to make significant investments in housing for low-income individuals and families to address the current housing and homelessness crisis.
Correspondence would be sent to local MPPs, the minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, and the premier in support of immediately raising Ontario Works (OW) and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) social assistance rates above the poverty line.
And city staff would investigate the feasibility of a pilot program to retain outreach workers and/or social workers to assist people experiencing homelessness and living in poverty to connect to services and to act as a resource for residents and businesses and report back to Barrie councillors.
Last but not least, city operations department staff will investigate providing waste collection bins, and/or servicing waste collection zones near informal encampment sites, to prevent the accumulation of debris and to reduce fire risk. These locations would be identified in consultation with the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness Barrie Chapter and city enforcement services, with a report back to city councillors.
“We know that the accumulation of debris and waste is one of the main concerns,” Aylwin said. “We know it’s not an ideal living situation, but people don’t have any other options right now. There are actually only a small number of locations which pose a significant issue.
“These encampments aren’t going anywhere anytime soon because there’s no alternative at the moment. We’re in a housing crisis," he added.
Thomson said he disagreed with this part of the plan.
“We’re going to need rollup trucks to provide this service. There’s encampments all over the city,” he said. “We can’t put garbage bins all over the woods.”
Morales also disagreed.
“It legitimizes an improper living condition,” he said. “People have to go (there) because they have no choice, I understand.”
But Coun. Clare Riepma said it's progress.
“What we can do, I think, we ought to do. Some place to put the garbage is a really good start,” he said. “Maybe we can move this needle just a little bit.”
Mayor Jeff Lehman said there is a larger issue.
“The elephants in the room here are much bigger than the issues that are being addressed by the motion,” he said. “The broader situation is not just the housing crisis, it’s the underlying issues and the lack of support, the reasons why people are experiencing homelessness in the first place and that is poverty, mental health, addictions and in some cases past trauma and physical trauma.
“Until we have the services available in our community to support the reasons why people become homeless, it won’t just be enough to get a roof over people’s heads," the mayor added.
The eight-part plan was approved by council Monday night.
McCann’s motion, which was replaced May 30 before it could be discussed, said correspondence would be sent to the Barrie Police Services Board requesting that it consider and provide recommendations for a pilot program to run July to October 2022 to eradicate panhandling on city streets and highway ramps, including the installation of planters along medians, in consultation with the OPP and municipal law enforcement,
The pilot program would also look at ending criminal disorder and behaviour, along with drug dealing, in downtown Barrie in order to create a safe place for residents, workers and small-business owners. This would include alternatives to dropping off individuals from Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishene in Barrie’s downtown, using pai- duty officers or a private security firm, and a report on any financial impacts.
The police board would be requested to hold special meetings, if required, to expedite a response to the city on these matters.
And if the police board provided a response recommending that these actions could not be accomplished, city staff would investigate the feasibility of a pilot program, from July to October this year, to retain a private security firm to monitor the situations of panhandling and drug dealing in the downtown area and report any concerning actions to Barrie police to address. This plan includes security personnel wearing attire that is non-threatening or invasive.
Staff would also look at the costs of establishing this program and report back to Barrie councillors before summer recess begins in July.
