After a little more than a year in its renovated space on Mulcaster Street, the David Busby Centre is lodging more than 50 people a night at the downtown homeless shelter.
Executive director Sara Peddle updated city council earlier this week on what's happening at the facility "on this cold, brisk night when we have over 50 people staying at our shelter," she said Monday.
The David Busby Centre is a 55-cot facility located at 88 Mulcaster St., a building shared with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The CMHA owns the building, but the Busby Centre has a 20-year lease.
During the winter months between November and May, the David Busby Centre operates a central intake for emergency shelter referrals, as well as an on-site emergency group lodging program.
In order to support the cost of renovations at the Mulcaster Street site, a fundraising campaign raised $585,000 in 2018 and 2019. Busby officials also requested $200,000 from the city, which was approved, and the County of Simcoe also contributed $150,000.
"To some, $200,000 doesn't seem like a lot, but it (is) and it affected a lot of people's lives so far and we know it's going to affect a lot of people coming," Peddle said.
Peddle told council that the city's funding was used to install a new HVAC system.
"That was a really important piece," she said, as the organization saw changes in capacity by moving from an office setting to a care facility.
The Busby Centre also provides free showers, which is used by between 15 and 20 people per day, so the building's hot-water tank was also upgraded.
Following several delays during renovations, the David Busby Centre opened Dec. 23, 2018, the same year the centre marked its 25th anniversary since its humble beginnings in 1993 as the Barrie Street Centre.
Peddle says a homeless count, which is required every two years and provides important information to address the issue, will take place in April. The tally from April 2018 identified 697 people who were homeless in Simcoe County, including 305 in Barrie.
"It spoke to the need for homelessness services to be increased in our communities," she said, noting area shelters had been running over-capacity.
During the winter of 2018-19, David Busby Centre saw 247 people for overnight stays.
"We were seeing up to 76 people (per night), so we have 55 cots and then an area where we have a warming centre for people to at least be warm, with some chairs, so there were some pretty busy nights," Peddle said. "This year, as we go into another cold winter, we have seen up to 50 people so far, so we have been working really hard on housing."
This year, there have been between 50 and 53 people per night, "but it is quite early," Peddle said, adding some people are still choosing to stay outside due to mild weather.
"The weather has been, believe it or not, a little kind to us, although it doesn't feel like it," she said.
Peddle noted the centre's support staff has helped more than 100 people and families over the last year find a place to live through services provided through the centre and its partners.
"We know this building has become a co-ordinated service provider to make sure people get to housing," added Peddle, who said she hopes to make any even bigger dent this year on getting people into more permanent housing.
Peddle highlighted the importance of a facility such as the Busby Centre, but also stressed that shelter beds are more expensive to provide than investments in housing.
"That's where we want switch our focus," Peddle said. "We believe everyone has a right to housing in Canada."
There's also room for improvement on that front, she says.
"We cannot end homelessness without housing and we're up against the wall right now," she said. "We want to house people, people want to be housed, people have a right to housing. We don't want them staying on cots in our community spaces. We want them to have a safe space."
Peddle pointed to the creation of Lucy's Place, a motel conversion project on Essa Road, as one that has helped the homelessness situation in the city.
Mayor Jeff Lehman said the numbers are "scary, but not unmanageable," while also commending the Busby staff for their "life-saving work... especially this time of year."
Peddle said their goal is to end chronic homelessness, adding there will always be some level of homelessness in the city.
"We shouldn't have to see people living for long periods in a shelter or on the street," she said, adding people often say they want to see several more facilities like Lucy's Place being built.
"They want their friends to be supported. They almost feel not worthy, that they're the lucky ones, and they shouldn't have to feel like that. It should be accessible to many," Peddle said.
Intake at the Busby Centre starts at 5 p.m., seven days a week, from mid-November through to the end of April.
For more information about central intake for you or someone you know, call 705-790-7028.
