A women’s residential addiction recovery facility, and an interest-free $400,000 loan to renovate a building for the centre’s operations, were both endorsed by Barrie councillors Monday night.
Councillors also gave initial approval to a motion to enter into a sole-source, two-year agreement, with an option to renew for an additional two years, with Newmarket-based facility operator Cornerstone to Recovery, to place clothing bins at city facilities, or at mutually agreed-upon locations on public land, for the sole purpose of funding its residential addiction recovery services.
“This isn’t a contract with a service provider,” Mayor Jeff Lehman said. “What we are doing is permitting only one organization to place clothing donation bins.”
Both motions will be considered for final approval by city council at its Oct. 26 meeting.
Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl’s motion that staff report back, before consideration of the two-year renewal, with program metrics developed in consultation with Cornerstone, population served, revenue generated from curbside collection, and the relationship to addiction and mental-health service providers, also passed.
“The issue here is whether or not we are content in two years to continue to have that arrangement with only one organization…to collect donations, which they are then going to spend on a particular program in the city,” Lehman said. “When the report comes back, what we’ll want to know is whether it’s working out for them (Cornerstone), and whether it’s working out for us in the sense of textiles being diverted from our landfill and people receiving treatment in Barrie.”
Coun. Robert Thomson questioned whether those metrics, or measurements, are needed.
“I think the metrics would be in two years if the building is still open, then everything would be working well,” he said. “I don’t know if I need to get into all that information.”
Coun. Gary Harvey had other concerns.
“It’s potentially encroaching on some sensitive and personal information, and that we may not be lawfully able to even come in contact with, and Cornerstone may not be in a position to provide some of the data,” he said.
Coun. Natalie Harris also amended the motion to allow Cornerstone to continue using curbside collection for the sole purpose of funding the residential recovery services and that staff initiate a temporary-use bylaw to allow textile bins dedicated to Cornerstone to be permitted at city facilities or public land for a period of two years, with a possible extension of two years.
“I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “We’re collecting more textiles and diverting from the landfill.”
Harris has said Barrie is still experiencing an opioid crisis, as well as deaths from other drugs, including alcohol. This centre will offer up to 20 beds for women, and provide six months of addiction treatment, including return-to-work programs, and transitional housing.
The plan is to include a men’s addiction treatment centre and community space in the future.
The location of the centre has not been disclosed yet, but it is not in the downtown area.
The $400,000 loan to Cornerstone would be funded from the city’s community benefit reserve, would be secured against the building and repaid in equal instalments, beginning in 2021, during a 20-year period. Cornerstone would pursue other funding opportunities and, if received, repay the outstanding loan to the city, upon receipt of this funding.
The loan would help to subsidize the first three years of the program. Three million dollars have already been raised by outside donations to put toward the capital required for the project.
Cornerstone says the Barrie facility would be staffed 24/7 by its counselling team members. Its programs would be specialized to the unique needs of women — with trauma support, case manager for survivors of trauma and/or human trafficking. There would be increased safety and security systems and protocols for residents and staff. And there would be a day treatment program for women who cannot stay in a residential centre overnight, due to child care.
Cornerstone has said its cost for each residential guest is $15,000, and it asks each one to pay $7,500 for a three-month program. Cornerstone covers the other half. For those who cannot afford this, Cornerstone says it works with them to create an individualized plan or a further subsidized amount. No one is ever turned away because they cannot afford treatment, Cornerstone says.
All payments by guests are put into a community contribution fund, which is used to cover Cornerstone’s programming costs.
Textile recycling sites in Barrie would provide a sustainable source of funding to open, maintain and grow the women’s residential centre.
City staff have reviewed Cornerstone’s information and confirmed that its operations in other communities, supported in part by the textile diversion program, appear to have a balanced budget.
Cornerstone uses a small chute bin requiring three feet of frontage clearance to open the door. It uses routing and work order software to optimize collection schedules. The sensors in the bins trigger a ‘ready for collection’ message and this appears to help with the quantity of spillover donations left around collection bins which have been a concern in many communities.
Cornerstone is a registered charity and recovery agency based in Newmarket that provides addiction recovery programs for individuals and families. Its doors opened in 2004 with the intention to provide a safe and productive place for those going from addiction to sustainable, community based recovery. It’s designed to be collaborative and constructive, as well as a home, Cornerstone says.
It also provides a variety of day and residential programs to help individuals develop the skills, confidence and connections necessary to change their own lives, and rejoin their community.
