Gerry Marshall, who’s running for Barrie mayor in the Oct. 24 election, says the County of Simcoe is dragging its feet on temporary homeless shelter facilities at 20 Rose St., near Bayfield Street and Highway 400.
The County of Simcoe says it's on schedule, however.
In a news release issued Sunday, Marshall said he wants an update on the plan, as it’s at risk.
“Today… not one pebble of earth has been moved on the Rose Street property, a request for proposals for someone to manage the facility has yet to be released and I can find no evidence of a building permit being requested by the county or issued by the city,” Marshall says in his release.
“The current situation sees the City of Barrie put in a position where we must ask the county to clarify what is occurring for our homeless residents,” he added. “This is untenable to me.”
Simcoe County council has approved a plan to build a temporary homeless shelter on the site of the former Barrie OPP detachment by November.
Simcoe County Warden George Cornell issued an update Monday afternoon.
“The County of Simcoe continues to be on track to have a temporary shelter available for winter 2022 within the City of Barrie,” he said. “We have been reassured by the vendor, 720 Solutions, that the temporary shelter will be ready for occupancy by mid-late November 2022, pending municipal approvals.
“The temporary shelter will provide an additional 50 shelter beds for the city and surrounding communities, bringing the total minimum capacity to 202 shelter beds in the city of Barrie," the warden added.
Cornell said the temporary shelter structure is modular, so very little site work will need to be completed prior to delivery. This modular structure will arrive 98 per cent complete, he said, can be placed on the site as-is and simply connect to local utilities as needed.
“In other words, it is a turnkey solution,” Cornell said. “When it arrives on site, it includes its own services, not dependent on external hydro and gas to ensure it can quickly accommodate clientele. City services will be used for water and sewer, but power and heat will be provided by a whisper generator and propane.
"The modular nature will enable the county to transport and utilize the building in other locations, should needs arise in the future.”
But Marshall, who has previously served as county warden, says he is asking those running for election to join him in his request that the County of Simcoe provide clarity as to what will occur after Nov. 15, should the temporary accommodations not be in place.
Alex Nuttall, Rob Haverson, Weldon Hachey, Mike McCann, Andrew Gordon and Barry Ward are also running for mayor.
Ward said Monday he did not like Marshall’s tactics.
“Candidates for mayor and council should be addressing what they would do about the homeless situation in Barrie,” he said. “Pressing the panic button a week before the vote for political gain is not a tactic that does anyone, including the homeless, any good.”
Ward says he was told at the end of September by county officials they expected to move forward with the project as planned on Nov. 15.
He said of the 152 shelter beds in Barrie, 40 were unoccupied at the end of September.
“So there is some capacity, although obviously demand will be greater with colder weather,” Ward said. “The county has shown the ability to add beds on short notice in other housing it owns in Barrie or at local motels.”
He noted the county has reached an agreement with a local agency to provide a warming shelter centre in Barrie this winter.
But Marshall says he has concerns the timelines are just too tight.
“I am not alone in my concerns. With so little time between now and Nov. 15, there are far too many unanswered questions I am hearing from those involved in the care of our homeless,” Marshall said. “For the county to hit the Nov. 15 date, many moving parts need to align perfectly — no supply-chain issues, no hydro connection issues, no manpower availability issues, no logistics issues, and a weather-friendly Mother Nature.
“The county needs to have a fallback plan in place to protect our homeless," he added.
McCann says he would like to see change in who provides social support.
“I believe that the County of Simcoe has done a disservice to the residents of Barrie as it relates to social services, social housing and support services to those in need of care,” McCann said. “At one time, the City of Barrie oversaw critically important social services to our residents.
“I believe we in Barrie best understand the needs of our community and are in a better position to seek solutions to address homelessness, addictions, shelters for emergency care, transitional housing, rent geared to income, affordable rental and affordable housing," he added.
McCann said he would work with the next council and with those he has a relationship with in the provincial government to return the delivery of social services directly to the city, to ensure taxpayer dollars are effectively delivered to support all in the community.
Nuttall says the city should be working alongside the county to address the homelessness crisis.
“My platform advocates for the fast-tracking of housing projects, and cutting through red tape to speed up the building process of facilities such as the proposed affordable housing development on Rose Street,” he said. “With colder temperatures on the horizon, we need to ensure resources are available to help our vulnerable residents, sooner rather than later.”
Nuttall says he supports the city investing in more planning staff dedicated to affordable housing projects, "so that we could play a more active role in the planning of this facility and/or others, in partnership with the county and bordering municipalities."
Hachey says solutions have to be found now to help the homeless.
“They are our people. If we don’t take care of them then who will? It is our system that is a mess with more than just homelessness,” he said. “I agree it’s time we do something to help our vulnerable and with the harsh weather on the way we can’t waste any more time. We are all sick and tired of waiting on a system that takes our taxes and takes their time swimming through their own red tape.”
Marshall also says the city — not the county — should oversee strategy and services which help Barrie’s homeless.
Ward says Barrie should have its own social services department and be responsible for dealing with its homeless.
“It is ridiculous that a city the size of Barrie has input but no final say in such areas as social housing, ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) and Ontario Works,” he said. “But that is up to the provincial government, which took it away from Barrie more than 20 years ago and I’ve seen no indication political parties of any stripe at Queen’s Park have any desire to change things.”
Ward says any arrangement for Barrie to take back its social services should include a condition that costs continue to be shared on a county-wide basis since Barrie, which has the services the homeless need, has only one-third of the county population but half of the homeless people.
“Say what you want about the current arrangement, but at least it means residents of the surrounding townships are paying their fair share of the costs,” he said.
In addition to this temporary shelter, the county is delivering additional projects including the warming centre in Barrie. There are also more permanent facilities, including the supportive housing project on Tiffin Street, with 14 beds, additional capacity at Lucy’s Place on Essa Road, with six beds for a total of 24.
The Rose Street site is earmarked for a future affordable housing development, still planned to proceed, with construction beginning in 2024. It includes two wings of eight and 10 storeys with 150 affordable and social housing apartments for seniors, families and individuals, Ontario Works offices and children services, along with other social and community supportive uses.
The county has also expanded shelter capacity within the city, and on a nightly basis there is shelter bed capacity available in the community, Cornell said. As colder temperatures arrive, the temporary shelter, as well as the overnight warming centre, will provide additional options for warmth and shelter.
