In a small clearing of a wooded area in central Barrie stands a rock.
The hauntingly beautiful memorial is adorned with colourful names such as Maggie, Krystal, Chad, Coop and Katarina.
'The Rock', as it is known in circles of those living in poverty around Barrie and the local advocates who help them, stands as a memorial to those who have died while homeless in the community.
“Our brothers and sisters always in our hearts,” is written in blue, white and black lettering across the top alongside a drawing of a unicorn alongside names and dates of people who have died while homeless.
The memorial was created entirely by local homeless people who wanted to remember their fallen street-family members.
“It’s one of those things I get really emotional talking about,” said Sara Peddle, executive director of the David Busby Centre in Barrie. “This isn’t something that agency people did, or community advocates did. This was (emotion) at its rawest form. These were peers who said they were losing too many people, and how do we honour those people in a way that we can collectively come together to mourn?”
Peddle says it highlights the reality of the situation.
“Nobody else was saying their names, so they did this themselves,” she added. “They’re a beautiful community of people who look after each other on a daily basis. It doesn’t seem like it’s a lot, but it means so much to so many people.”
The Rock was one of many names suggested as an option for the newly opened motel-conversion project on Essa Road before it was ultimately decided the project would be called Lucy’s Place. The facility held its grand opening on Thursday.
Both names pay tribute to Barrie's homeless population, who are sometimes hidden in wooded areas and alleyways, but other times in plain sight, that die within the city limits while living without a home.
Lucy Pinho was a well-known fixture of the city's homeless community.
“She was a very pleasant woman. She would make bracelets for people,” said Peddle, adding Pinho was known to the centre’s outreach team who would connect with her to check in regularly.
“She was uncomfortable using traditional services. She was very reserved.”
While Pinho used to sleep in an alcove behind the Collier Street Parkade, once a fence was erected around the space, she was forced to move on.
Two weeks after the fence was raised, back on Aug. 8, 2014, Pinho was found dead of complications following a virus near the public washrooms at Heritage Park.
“It really rocked the community on so many levels, it was devastating,” said Peddle. “Nobody in the community talks about it, but with Lucy, she connected with so many people, that people were talking about it.
“It became a really pivotal time in our community. It changed the way we do business in serving the homeless,” she added.
Angie, Kyle, Kimberley and Steven.
While Pinho’s name resonated with many people who came in contact with her, there are many stories of people who have died while homeless in Barrie that people don’t hear about.
“There are lots of people who are just forgotten,” said Peddle. “It hurts us, the people who are engaged with this community, because these are people. They are human beings, somebody’s sister, brother or daughter, and a lot of them pass without any kind of honouring.”
At the end of 2016, a homeless woman was found dead at the north end of Bayfield Street in a tent.
In September 2017, a 39-year-old Barrie woman, who was believed to be living in a wooded area near the pond west of Anne and John streets, was found dead with obvious signs of decomposition.
Those are just two of many stories of homeless deaths in Barrie.
Peddle said there was one season about eight years ago when 17 homeless people died on the streets over one winter.
“It sticks in my mind. Back then, we would do a memorial for each person who had passed. We were getting to the point where we were having two to three memorials a week,” she said. “I remember feeling very overwhelmed and thinking, something had to be better than this.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” she added.
Rose, Hanna, Charlie and Spuddy.
When asked by BarrieToday whether police keep records regarding how many people die annually in Barrie without a fixed address, Barrie police corporate communications co-ordinator Jennett Mays said there are barriers that sometimes prevent police from being able to accurately quantify the issue.
“The issue is that we don’t necessarily have correct records as to people’s address (or lack of an address), so to try and determine how many people died while homeless would be difficult for us to accurately state,” said Mays.
Mays also clarified that police aren’t always called to a scene to attend to all death situations, especially if foul play isn’t suspected.
“We don’t necessarily attend or report on all of them,” she said.
While the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit told BarrieToday they don’t keep local statistics linking homelessness to deaths, they acknowledge that living without a home can definitely have an impact.
“Homelessness or being under-housed does have an impact on health. Housing is a determinant of health,” said Kathy Dermott, media co-ordinator for the health unit.
According to health unit data, unsafe housing can cause an increase in illness and premature death from infection, heart disease, asthma and mental illness, as well as fatal injuries. The high cost of housing can also limit the amount of money people have left over for food, child care and transportation.
“We don’t really hear about this in the media. It’s like this unspoken horror that’s happening in our community,” said Peddle.
The David Busby Centre is ramping up for an Oct. 28 opening for its overnight program. They are still in need of volunteers for all shifts.
For more information on how to volunteer, click here.
