TIMMINS - A new provincial initiative plans to tackle the issue of homelessness and encampments.
At its Dec. 19 meeting, the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) discussed the new Encampment Response Initiative, introduced under the Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP).
The overall funding announced on Dec. 12 was $75.5 million. The portion that the CDSB members talked about is the $20 million to expand shelter capacity and create new temporary accommodation spaces to give people living in encampments more living options. The cash will be distributed through service managers and the projects have to be completed by March 31, 2025.
“Let me be clear that it is my expectation that this funding is tied to clearing out encampments. The intent is to provide funding to municipalities that demonstrate their commitment to and show results in winding down these sites,” wrote Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra in a letter to CDSB.
For municipalities to be considered for the cash, the service manager — which is the CDSB in Timmins — must provide a written pledge that it will use the money to end encampments in the region.
CDSB CAO Brian Marks said the existing funding stream was chosen for efficiency, given the short timeline.
Applications must include business cases demonstrating the readiness of proposed projects and estimates of the number of encampments and residents in need of assistance. The application deadline is Jan. 3, 2025.
At a last-minute Timmins council meeting tonight (Dec. 23), there is a motion to have the CDSB apply for the funding.
Timmins Coun. John Curley asked whether recent cleanups of encampment sites in Timmins could qualify for funding under the program.
While Marks said the guidelines mention rehabilitation costs for previous sites, it does not specify timeframes
SEE: City crews clear two encampments
Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau added that recent cleanups likely wouldn’t meet the initiative’s criteria because they focused on debris removal rather than relocating residents into shelters.
“That being said though, should we apply to be able to remove those two encampment sites, then in that case, the cost associated with the cleanup after the fact would be eligible, according to how we're interpreting the guidelines right now,” she said.
Timmins Coun. Steve Black raised questions about the collaborative approach between the CDSB and municipalities, emphasizing the need to address encampments in public spaces.
“I would have interest in some of the things that we've discussed previously, and looking at alternate locations and provisions of housing, temporary or not, for some of these encampments, and getting encampments out of areas like our main parks and places where children play frequently,” Black said.
“I don't want this to be caught up in, 'Well, why are we taking the lead? It's always been a CDSB-related issue.’ So, maybe, if you can speak to that and how you see this logistically working, versus us getting in a back-and-forth of whose responsibility it should be, and not doing anything and missing out on another opportunity to help address this issue.”
Marks said the priority is meeting the application deadline.
“There's no time to have conversations about jurisdiction or who does what. It's just a question of meeting with municipal representatives and understanding whether or not they have a desire to apply for funds,” he said.
“We have had conversations with the City of Timmins administration because there are just parts in the application that service managers can't complete because you do have to identify an address, a site planning type of thing ... They're just things that the CDSB can't complete. So we'll work together with any of the member municipalities to fulfill the proposals and try to meet the deadline.”
