Some changes for Timmins’ emergency shelter are underway.
A long-awaited report from Third Party Public regarding Living Space was released earlier this month noting 17 issues and 36 proposed solutions.
Now that the report is out, a steering committee is creating a proposed action plan, including a funding plan.
At a Cochrane District Social Services Board (CDSSAB) meeting on Thursday (March 21), the board's CAO Brian Marks said when items came up during the review, they didn't wait for it to be finished to start implementing some of the recommended action items.
“As they came up, it created a work plan immediately for housing staff, Ontario Works staff, and Living Space personnel. So, a lot of these things are already underway,” he said.
The cost for CDSSAB to retain Third Party Public, which was $156,250, was also mentioned during Thursday’s meeting.
The CDSSAB said it redirected funds from the recently increased Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP) funding to cover the cost. The amount doesn't include the cost for "CDSSAB personnel involved with the review and the logistics that go with setup," Marks said.
Third Party Public was hired by the Cochrane District Social Services Board (CDSSAB) last year after Timmins council asked for a report to consider the options for relocating the emergency shelter outside of residential and commercial zones. It started working on the three-part review in September.
The steering committee includes representatives from the CDSSAB, Timmins Police, Eagle Cree Consulting, CAB representative, Porcupine Health Unit, Timmins and District Hospital, CMHA and the Salvation Army.
SEE: Final Living Space relocation report released
At Thursday’s meeting, CDSSAB accepted the report and directed administration to prioritize available funding, source additional funding as needed and “engage all parties with interest” to realize the outcomes of the report which includes the immediate improvement of shelter operations, the possible relocation of the shelter and or the creation of alternate and supportive shelter programs and locations as needed.
One of the 17 issues noted in the review was the lack of toilets at the emergency shelter. Marks said they’ve already added extra toilets, though he didn’t specify how many.
As part of their efforts to provide additional resources to the emergency shelter, Marks said a budget re-forecast will be presented later this year to alter the investment plan for HPP for the remainder of the year.
“And this is not uncommon. We've changed investment plans on our homelessness funding in the past. But to act on the items that have been identified in review, we'll need to do that,” he said.
Marks said creating a public advisory liaison group is also in the works “based on the in-camera item” the board approved in the meeting.
“And this is not a small item. This is perhaps the most powerful action item moving forward,” he said.
“In the past, if we had acted on these action items without public consultation, as soon as something went wrong — a break-and-enter downtown or somebody walking suffering from a schizophrenic episode — without communication, without people knowing what the plan is, and knowing who's accountable for those kinds of activities, just a small incident like that would have thrown the whole plan into question for so many people.”
An active group of involved citizens can act as a means to provide information to the community, Marks said.
In terms of possible locations, Marks said they’re always working with the municipality to identify opportunities and places that they cannot only possibly relocate emergency shelter services, but also additional shelter services.
He said they’re in need of something similar to what existed during the first year of the pandemic when they took advantage of Northern College’s residence.
“We had tremendous success in that location. I think we need to replicate that kind of model,” he said.
Marks said they are continuously advocating for additional resources.
“We do it at both federal and provincial levels. We may have to look at a different way that we do that and start to convene, perhaps some more in person meetings, with a broader section of our board to actually attend in person, but we'll tackle a strategy for that in the coming months,” he said.
Declaring a state of emergency is also an option, Marks said.
“We've seen other municipalities in the province declare states of emergency, but I haven't seen the methodologies that go with that. That's largely been an exercise of media and an exercise of headlines. That's not what we're interested in,” he said.
“We’re interested in actually applying the methodology of emergency management that worked during COVID that can work for tackling this homelessness issue in all of our communities. And we've got a really experienced group that we can take advantage of in that regard.”
City of Timmins Coun. Andrew Marks said the CDSSAB should touch base monthly on any progress being made.
“Parts of this will require us to go to other levels of government for funding. And some of this will be arm twisting some of our partners within the community. So, it's obviously a multi-prong approach, and we can't let it drop. So I would ask that we keep our eyes on it closely,” he said.
Marks said he knows there will be many people who will be looking for more specifics "but those will come.”
The action plan will be sent to Timmins council.
