Orillia city council has settled on a shortlist of two potential sites for a temporary rapid supportive re-housing project following extensive debate and interest from the public in recent weeks.
In order of priority, the sites are a vacant parcel of land at 175 West St. S., which is beside the Orillia Recreation Centre, followed by 66 Peter St. S., which is the former site of the Orillia OPP detachment.
The selection of the site is set to come over the next few weeks based on the site’s ability to accommodate the project for spring 2024.
With the goal of transitioning the city’s unhoused population to permanent housing, the temporary facility — composed of portable, modular units — will include sleeping rooms, shared washroom facilities with showers, a shared kitchen and laundry, and the potential for 24-hour staffing.
Similar to the Rose Street project in Barrie, the Orillia project — carried out in partnership with the County of Simcoe — aims to support 20 to 40 individuals in its first year, and up to 200 people through its five-year duration.
In February, city council committed $100,000 in city funds toward associated fees, development charges, service connections, and lot grading requirements, with the county footing the bill for the capital costs and managing a financial agreement with a service provider for its operating costs.
However, at the time, council rejected three local parks — sites recommended by city staff — and formed a working group composed of councillors Whitney Smith, Janet-Lynne Durnford, Ralph Cipolla, and Jeff Czetwerzuk to examine numerous sites throughout the city.
Ultimately, council agreed on the two approved sites on Monday for their ability to accommodate the project and meet the County of Simcoe’s tight timelines to remain eligible for federal funding.
Over the weekend, an anonymous letter was circulated to a number of residences in the community, containing a variety of concerns and inaccuracies about the project, and several members of council addressed community concerns on Monday.
“We want to address the many misconceptions that have gone on about this project," said Smith.
"This will not be located at a park. This is not an emergency shelter site or managed encampment. This is not a collection of tents. There are not hundreds of units,” said Smith, who presented the working group’s report to council.
“Affordable housing does not have a negative impact on property value, and supportive housing does not increase neighbourhood crime rates,” said the Ward 1 councillor.
“This supportive rapid rehousing program is designed to assist low risk individuals experiencing situational homeless transition into permanent housing.”
Despite the report recommending 175 West St. S. and 66 Peter St. S. in that order, Smith told council “66 Peter Street would be our recommendation,” and said she had spoken with other members of the working group on the change — a discussion Cipolla denied having taken place.
Both Cipolla and Coun. David Campbell spoke strongly against the abrupt change to the recommended motion in the report.
“I'm on the working group and I didn't hear anything about it this morning … 75 West St. was the committee’s suggested first choice, and I think that we (ought to) stick to that,” he said.
“I'm not sure how you overrode the decision that the committee made to go number one, number two, in that order. I'm really confused and I'm really upset about it," said Cipolla.
Campbell, also a Ward 1 councillor, agreed with Cipolla.
“I feel this is completely inappropriate, that we received a report that we're able to read and research and receive input from the public on throughout the weekend, and you're saying literally minutes before this meeting, and not even the entire working group met, and decided to change the direction of the recommended motion for this council. That's completely inappropriate,” said Campbell.
Czetwerzuk said he had previously scheduled an informal “debrief” on the report to “go over facts and misconceptions” regarding the project, which he was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict, with Smith agreeing to present the report to council.
“As for the recommendation, I don't know where that came from myself,” he said.
Ultimately, council voted down Smith’s suggestion, despite Durnford and Coun. Jay Fallis’ support for 66 Peter St. S., and agreed to pursue the West Street site and Peter Street site in that order of priority.
The County of Simcoe is currently finalizing its plans to acquire the temporary modular housing facility, and an operator will be selected to manage the facility and run programs this month.
Once the facility has been placed and an operator has been selected, this program will support 10 to 20 participants within the first six months of the project and 20-40 participants within the first year, which could equal up to 100-200 participants over the project's duration of five years, notes a joint media release from the city and the county.
This initiative in Orillia is also expected to create space in the city’s existing shelter system, as the two programs work together to move people from situational homelessness to permanent housing through a system-wide approach, notes the release.
“County council continues to invest in and support our regional system-wide approach to addressing homelessness, with targeted investments in our communities," said County of Simcoe Warden Basil Clarke, who is also the mayor of Ramara Township.
"This is a great example of a fast, effective and efficient solution that has proven results. We thank the City of Orillia for their support and partnership as we work together to build up the lives of our residents.”
