A 14-unit supportive housing facility located on Tiffin Street in Barrie is getting another boost of support by County of Simcoe councillors.
Councillors voted to support a request by staff at its committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday that would allow the warden and county clerk to enter into a lease agreement for 77 Tiffin St., with the Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe-Muskoka to provide supportive, affordable housing to address chronic homelessness in the county.
Located at the corner of Tiffin and Innisfil streets, the county acquired the property exactly one year ago in order to convert it into 14 supportive housing units, which, once all of the necessary conversion work is completed, is expected to open near the end of March or early April.
“A public procurement process was undertaken to solicit proposals for support services and property management," states a county staff report. "As a result, the Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe-Muskoka and the Busby Centre submitted a joint bid and were awarded the operational contract for this supportive housing project, while the Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe-Muskoka will also assume responsibility as the lead tenant and enter into a five-year lease agreement with the County of Simcoe for property management."
“I am really encouraged to see this project come forward, and was really interested to learn a bit more about it," Orillia Coun. Jay Fallis said at county council. "Curious if, as a county, we actively look for motels throughout the area that are for sale or could easily be acquired, for potential retrofits and potential affording housing purposes."
Mina Fayez-Bahgat, the county’s general manager of social and community services, explained that his department meets weekly with the county’s real estate group and are constantly looking for these opportunities that would be the fight fit for a supportive housing project.
“With those Rapid Housing initiatives and different funding models that have quicker turnarounds, there is always opportunity for acquisition and conversion,” Fayez-Bahgat said.
“(With) our SSRF (Social Services Relief Fund) — an emergency response fund from the province that also allowed for capital investment — we had more than one option to do so," he added. "Now that we are limited to just the different rounds of the Rapid Housing Initiative, it is a little bit less of an opportunity than it was in the last couple of years … (but) we are certainly always looking for opportunities that make sense to increase the supportive housing stock.”
The county received an allocations letter regarding the SSRF Phase 4 on Aug. 16, 2021, which outlined one of the objectives of the fund was to create longer-term housing solutions to homelessness.
“An allocation of $2,557,600 from the SSRF4 funding envelope was approved by council for creation of a capital project to provide longer-term housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness,” stated the staff report.
The county acquired 77 Tiffin on Feb. 28, 2022 with the plans to create 14 supportive housing units.
“The investment of $2,557,600 from the provincial government is acknowledged and appreciated for its contribution to permanent supportive housing for homeless individuals in Simcoe County,” stated the report.
The county also underwent a public procurement process to solicit proposals for support services and property management.
“The Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe-Muskoka and the Busby Centre submitted a joint bid. As a result, they were jointly awarded the operational contract for this supportive housing project,” stated the staff report.
The Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe-Muskoka will also assume responsibility as the lead tenant and enter into a lease agreement with the County of Simcoe for property management.
Property management will include day-to-day maintenance, assuming all ongoing utilities, internet, telecommunications, and furniture expenses, including any costs associated with off-site storage requirements, while the county will be responsible for major capital replacement work and costs.
The $2.5 million from the SSRF4 allocation was applied to capital costs for acquisition and conversion, explained the staff report, with costs in excess of that amount to be covered by the Social Services Reserve and cost shared with both the cities of Barrie and Orillia.
The report noted that funding for rent subsidies will be provided up to a maximum of $110,964 per year and $385,000 for support services per year and costs for support services can be accommodated within the provincial Homelessness Prevention Program funding envelope from March 1 to March 31, 2023, and within the federal Reaching Home funding envelope from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024.
Conversion work to prepare the building for occupancy is nearing completion.
