Barrie councillors could heat things up for the homeless next winter by helping fund warming centres.
Councillors will consider a pilot project tonight to support warming centre initiatives in Barrie for the 2022-23 winter, with the city providing matching funds to a maximum of $50,000 to the County of Simcoe, with the funding distributed to an appropriate provider organization(s), in co-ordination with county’s support funding, and instead of opening a city facility as overnight warming centre space.
Coun. Natalie Harris said it’s an attempt to get warming spaces in place before next winter, so there's not a repeat of last winter, when the city was scrambling for space and locations, even temporary ones.
“In an ideal world, the warming spaces available would provide enough capacity for everyone seeking a place to come in from the weather and would provide supports for the persons accessing the space,” she said.
The city’s $50,000 for the pilot project would be funded from the reinvestment reserve, and when the next request for proposals for contracted security services is issued, de-escalation training would be requested.
“De-escalation training can provide skills to effectively engage an agitated person, to help them calm down so you can have a conversation and hopefully help them,” Harris said.
As for the county’s share, its council approved $100,000 from the pandemic specific social services relief fund to assist Simcoe County communities respond to warming centre needs on a one-time basis during the winter of 2022-23.
Funding allocations would align with data collected from the warming centre operations survey, specifically the percentage of warming centre use by area.
The survey results show that between April 28 and May 11, 46 per cent of individuals accessing warming centres were in Barrie.
County council will consider a motion to receive for information a report on warming centres at its Tuesday, June 28 meeting.
The report also says funding to support warming centre initiatives beyond winter 2022-23 will require a 100 per cent municipal contribution.
In 1998, the province designated the County of Simcoe as service manager under the Housing Services Act. It is responsible for leading the local system of homelessness supports and services planning, as well as managing social housing programs, within the county and the two separated cities of Barrie and Orillia.
Barrie provides annual funding to the county for both operating and capital costs associated with social housing and homelessness services, along with the other services where the county has been designated as service manager.
The county does not operate homeless shelters itself, but rather provides funding to local organizations that directly deliver homelessness programs and services for the operation of homeless shelters. The county funds four shelters in Barrie — the Busby Centre, Elizabeth Fry Society, Salvation Army Barrie Bayside Mission, and Youth Haven.
The provincial mandate provided to the county does not include warming or cooling centres, however. They are not identified in provincial guidelines for ongoing funds as eligible activities, as they are not deemed to contribute to the prevention or reduction of homelessness.
There are also no city staff hired for social and health support services or the delivery/warming centre operations in Barrie.
The main purpose of a warming centre is the prevention of death and injury related to exposure to the elements. Traditionally, warming centres are only open a few days at a time, specifically based on the weather conditions.
In this part of Ontario, Environment Canada will issue an alert with an extreme cold warning when the temperature or wind chill is expected to reach -30°C for at least two hours.
The county determined, early into the pandemic, that it would provide funding for sheltering organizations to relocate and house their clients within motel spaces, with the intent to ensure adequate space for physical distancing and isolation as required.
In addition to the actual motel/hotel room costs, the county provided funding to the sheltering organizations for 24/7 staffing and security at motel locations, personal protective equipment, deep cleaning supplies, etc.
Of the four homeless sheltering programs in Barrie, three used the motel model — Busby Centre, Elizabeth Fry Society and Youth Haven — while the fourth continued to operate from its normal location with reduced capacity, Salvation Army Barrie Bayside Mission.
The county has used provincial and federal funding to pay for individuals housed in local motels across the region on a daily basis, with more than 100 persons per day located in Barrie motel sites.
Paramedics have visited the motel sites weekly for wellness checks and COVID testing, as well as for other support organizations such as Canadian Mental Health Association.
A two-week extension has been announced, to July 15, for the Busby Centre and Elizabeth Fry Society to continue operations at a scaled back capacity in staffing and reduced space at Travelodge.
