LOW-BARRIER SHELTER MUST EXIT NORTHERN PINES
Letter to the Editor,
The Northern Pines site has a lot more going on than just the low-barrier shelter, and that needs to be part of the conversation.
Northern Pines is also home to Transitional Supportive Housing beds where individuals have made the difficult decision to transition from a life of addictions and homelessness toward stability and everyday life. These individuals are receiving the support and services they need as they work toward recovery.
That is why I believe the current low-barrier shelter is not a good fit for this location. And we need to start listening to the issues this is causing across the street at Chippewa High School.
Northern Pines was never intended to be the permanent home of the low-barrier shelter. Having an overnight shelter operating on the same site as people receiving treatment and supportive housing for addictions creates competing needs.
This is not an argument against providing shelter or support. Quite the opposite. North Bay needs to be thinking about a model that provides people experiencing homelessness with more than simply a place to sleep for the night.
City Council has already committed $3 million in its capital budget toward establishing a Connections Centre. That commitment provides an opportunity to leverage additional funding and bring together the organizations and service providers needed to create something substantially better.
The current low-barrier shelter provides an important service. The Crisis Centre does excellent work delivering that service. But the current model is essentially a place to stay overnight, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. with some expanded hours during the winter months.
A Connections Centre could be so much more.
A 24/7 facility is listed as an ongoing action item with the Community Safety and Well-being Committee. Imagine 40 to 50 beds, where people can stay safely and have service providers available on site to connect them with housing, healthcare, addiction treatment, and other supports.
Instead of someone having to leave at 7 a.m. and return at 7 p.m., they could have the stability and time necessary to begin addressing the circumstances that brought them to the street in the first place.
The people delivering these services will tell you that time and consistent engagement matter. The more opportunity service providers have to build relationships with individuals and connect them to appropriate supports, the greater the opportunity for people to move toward stability and recovery.
This is why I believe the next City Council needs to show leadership on this issue.
To make the Centre a reality, we need to identify an appropriate alternative location for the low-barrier shelter, advocate for the necessary funding, and support the local organizations and service providers at the table.
The next Council should focus on what this is about. It's about finding a better solution for people experiencing homelessness and addictions, for those in transitional supportive housing, for the surrounding neighbourhood and for the broader North Bay community.
The time for simply talking about this issue is over.
It is time for action.
Dave Mendicino
North Bay City Council Candidate
