Approximately seven of 20 new temporary emergency spaces within Barrie’s shelter system are being occupied by former Berczy Park residents as of this morning, says Busby Centre executive director Sara Peddle.
The City of Barrie closed Berczy Park, where a controversial homeless encampment had been located, earlier this week and police have issued trespassing notices to some of those who would not leave the downtown park.
Peddle said all of the 20 emergency spaces are occupied as of Friday.
“We did not receive a specific amount of funding from the County of Simcoe; we have been directed to increase capacity in existing programs we facilitate in the community,” she said in an email to BarrieToday.
“We were directed to increase our motel voucher program to accommodate 20 additional temporary spaces, to make room in the shelter system, and (have) approval to increase staff hours to support the increased number of people in the program," Peddle added.
The Busby Centre, located not far from Berczy Park at 88 Mulcaster St., is a community not-for-profit organization which advocates for and improves conditions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, or at risk of being homeless, within the County of Simcoe, including Barrie, and the southern Georgian Bay area.
Peddle said 20 spaces are held at the Mulcaster Street facility daily until 7 p.m. for anyone who wants to come in from the Berczy Park encampment. At 7 p.m., if the beds are not taken, Busby officials assign them to people at 88 Mulcaster from the shelter intake system, seeking a bed.
“We continue to be full at the shelter most nights,” she said.
The County of Simcoe is responsible for housing and homelessness services within Barrie.
On Thursday afternoon, the Busby Centre issued an statement regarding the dismantling of encampments and emergency shelter expansion.
It stated the county has allocated these 20 new temporary emergency spaces within Barrie’s shelter system specifically for individuals staying in the Berczy Park encampment at this time. These spaces were made available on Sept. 3, and the Busby’s outreach team is available to support those affected, who choose to access alternative shelter and/or essential supports and services.
"Our role is strictly to provide direct support and resources, such as food, to those residing in Berczy Park," said the Busby statement. “We are not encouraging the removal of anyone or anyone's belongings without their permission and direct requests for support to transport their belongings to another location or storage.
"We acknowledge that 20 ‘temporary spaces’ are insufficient to address the broad homelessness and housing crisis in our community,” the statement added. "While emergency shelters offer immediate respite, they are intended to offer only short-term stays."
The Busby Centre said it has been a consistent advocate for a long-term approach to address the housing crisis, with an emphasis on the need for more attainable housing, including transitional, and preferably permanent, supportive housing models like Lucy’s Place (County of Simcoe, the Busby Centre and Redwood Park Communities partnership) and Paula’s Place (County of Simcoe, the Busby Centre and Elizabeth Fry Society partnership).
"These initiatives have successfully stabilized lives, and we need to see more of them to address the root causes of homelessness,” said the Busby statement. ‘We also recognize that emergency shelters may only be suitable for some. We can’t provide housing that is accessible to all. Therefore, we remain committed to supporting our unsheltered community through our outreach services that offer a variety of support services and meet people where they are at."
The Busby Centre says it calls on all levels of government and community partners to prioritize permanent, supportive housing solutions.
"Until those solutions are in place, we need more emergency shelter spaces and alternative supports for those living unsheltered in our community. There needs to be more than the current approach, and decisive action is required to ensure everyone has a safe, stable home,” the Busby statement added.
A city official said Monday the majority of individuals within Berczy Park had accepted offers of shelter, but that the city planned to issue notices of trespass to those who do not identify any unique needs and continue to be in contravention of the city's bylaws.
Last year, an Ontario Superior Court ruling deemed bylaws prohibiting homeless
The city has received many complaints related to homeless encampments in Barrie. There have also been several fires in encampments this year, including two fires last weekend, one of which was at Berczy Park.
When a complaint is received by Barrie’s municipal law enforcement office, or an encampment discovered while on patrol, the local sheltering and outreach organizations, the County of Simcoe and city police are notified of the matter with a request for attendance to provide shelter and support services that may be available as the initial part of the response.
Berczy Park is located southeast of Wellington Street East. Much of the 2.2-acre park had been occupied by tents, with fire pits and clothing hanging on lines and branches to dry.
