TIMMINS - Over 3,000 people filled out a survey about where a potential temporary encampment site could be set up.
The top location of the four provided is Pine Street South, past Cowboy Lake.
With the results now in, Timmins council is tasked at deciding whether or not to partner with the Cochrane District Services Board (CDSB) on the project. A report on the item is at Tuesday's (March 18) council meeting.
That decision is expected tomorrow because if it's moving ahead, the province needs the signed deal by Friday, March 21.
For the last several weeks, the City of Timmins has been gathering feedback on locations for the proposed housing, outreach, protection and engagement (HOPE) initiative.
The pitch is to have a designated space for a mining camp-type setup with up to 40 temporary housing spaces. It would be operated by the CDSB. While the province has earmarked $3.1 million in capital to build it, there is no ongoing operating cash committed.
RELATED: Timmins looking at sites for encampments
SEE: 'Some services will be cut' to fund proposed encampment alternative: Marks
The city received 3,433 online and paper surveys, as well as 82 feedback forms.
The results on the preferred locations are:
- Pine Street South, 1,154 (33.61 per cent)
- None of the above, 844 (24.58 per cent)
- Highway 655, 719 (20.94 per cent)
- 110 Feldman Rd, 427 (12.44 per cent)
- Spruce Street South snow dump, 289 (8.43 per cent)
The opinions on the top location were divided, reads the report from CAO Dave Landers.
"Some supported it because it's far from homes and businesses, while others saw this as a drawback. Supporters saw distance as a benefit, but opponents feared it would leave individuals vulnerable due to lack of infrastructure, including streetlights and sidewalks," reads the report.
"Being far from town could make it harder for people to reach essential services, raising concerns about transportation barriers and unintended displacement."
By far, the biggest thing people want considered when selecting a site is how it will affect the area.
For a question about the primary consideration, 1,665 chose neighbourhood impact. The other top considerations were safety and site security with 523 responses, and proximity to healthcare and essential services at 368.
Going to the public for feedback while not having a plan for how it would operate was noted by the public.
The project was publicly launched at the Feb. 18 Timmins council meeting when staff was given the go-ahead to launch the survey on where it could be located.
Days later at the services board meeting, CDSB CAO Brian Marks confirmed his organization would own the structure, but was uncertain about who would run it.
“It doesn't come with any operating, which means if we're going to support it through existing HPP (homelessness prevention program) funds, some services will be cut. Some service providers will need to lose money, and we'll have to budget for that to support this facility," he said at the Feb. 20 meeting.
It was the CDSB who submitted the HOPE proposal to the province in early January.
SEE: 'Some services will be cut' to fund proposed encampment alternative: Marks
The report at the March 18 Timmins council meeting talks about the operational concerns.
"We recognize this gap and the impact it had on being able to provide well-informed feedback. The timeline for proposal development, submission and engagement post-funding announcement was very short," according to the report.
Since the funding announcement, the city report says the CDSB has been talking to community partners about reallocating resources to the site.
"Finalizing the list of services will take time, and the service delivery manager will provide updates as plans progress. However, today's decision must be made with the understanding that some uncertainty remains."
What happens next
If council approves the HOPE initiative, the next steps according to the city are:
- The municipal land can be donated to the CDSB or kept in the city inventory, allowing the HOPE initiative to operate on it. Council members would make that decision.
- CDSB would issue a request for proposals (RFP) for the design, supply and installation of the units.
- CDSB would continue meeting with service delivery agencies about how the project would operate.
- There would be regular updates, including a presentation to council, from CDSB
If the project isn't approved, it won't move forward. The CDSB could then contact the province to see if the cash could be used for another project. The city would also still need to find potential sites and ways to tackle encampments in the city so people have a place to go in the day other than in the parks.
Timmins council has made no decisions on the project.
The Timmins council meeting is at city hall on March 18 at 5:30 p.m. The full report is available here.
Watch the meeting live online here.