City council could ask upper levels of government Monday night to extend funding for Barrie’s hotel-model emergency shelter program.
The funding was scheduled to end June 30, next Thursday, and would leave some of this city’s homeless with no shelter.
Council could also call upon the federal and provincial governments, along with the County of Simcoe, to come up with a plan to create permanent social and supportive housing for individuals currently living in emergency shelters.
“I am extremely frustrated that we are in this position still,” said Coun. Natalie Harris. “I feel the motion is necessary because we still don’t have an answer as to where these individuals will be going if the Travelodge model is not extended, so it will be likely that there will be a rise in the population of people living in tents in Barrie.”
The hotel-model emergency shelter program was set up to help distance people during the COVID-19 pandemic, while also keeping them safe and sheltered. Ending the program could push at least 100 people out the door and onto the streets.
Harris said the county has indicated it’s spending more than $200,000 a week on the program, although some of that funding could be for home shelter locations.
She said Mayor Jeff Lehman called an emergency meeting with some of the stakeholders during this past week.
“I have had many conversations with all of the stakeholders involved in this crisis, and it is apparent that they have never all been at the same table to discuss this crisis,” she said. “There were still no concrete solutions.
“Yes, an increase in funding from the provincial and federal governments is a component that would at least assist with the urgency of this crisis, and prolong the use of the Travelodge,” Harris said, “but it doesn’t solve the problem of where will these individuals go when the Travelodge is no longer an option.”
She said the county has approved a two-week extension, to July 15, for the Busby Centre and Elizabeth Fry Society to continue operations at a scaled back capacity in staffing and reduced space at Travelodge.
The Ward 6 councillor highlighted that the province has invested significant money into homeless assistance through its homeless prevention program. She said it’s $464 million annually in Ontario, and almost $11.4 million to the county for 2022-2023, or nearly $882,000 more than in previous years. Harris did not have a breakdown on how this money was spent.
The motion also asks that city enforcement services branch and operations department staff be directed to take a human rights-based approach to interacting with those living in encampments, in alignment with principles outlined in the National Protocol on Homeless Encampments in Canada.
“It’s important that we highlight the protocols being used globally to treat individuals living in these areas with dignity and respect,” Harris said.
“This is not to say that our staff have not been working with dignity and respect prior to this motion, but if we are going to see an influx of approximately 100 people into these areas, we need to emphasize the importance of seeing their humanity during what will be an even further crisis situation for them.”
A copy of this resolution would be forwarded to local MPPs, local MPs, the Federal Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, the Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Provincial Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.
In 1998, the province determined Simcoe County would plan, administer funding and manage certain services to Barrie — including housing and homelessness prevention.
Barrie’s 2022 operating budget documents show the city is paying the County of Simcoe just more than $5 million this year for non-profit social housing and $2.2 million to the Simcoe County Housing Corporation. Adding those two numbers together shows Barrie’s contribution to the county’s social housing efforts this year, said city treasurer Craig Millar.
On Jan. 23-25, the County of Simcoe counted 722 people experiencing homelessness during its enumeration. Of those 722, 441 completed surveys and 50 per cent were from Barrie.
County officials also track bed nights used in emergency shelters, another way to gauge homelessness. In 2021, Barrie had 55,349 bed nights in its shelters, which include the Busby Centre, Salvation Army, Youth Haven and the Elizabeth Fry Society. Last year Simcoe County’s bed nights, including Barrie, totalled 88,017.
