County undecided on homeless hub
Decision on location of warming centre delayed following closed meeting
A warming hub for homeless people in the county is scheduled to begin operating on November 1, but county council has postponed a decision on where the centre should be located until a special meeting at some point in coming weeks.
You may recall that last year there was a centre in Cobourg at 310 Division Street, a former retirement home that the county purchased as a space to provide round-the-clock services for the growing number of homeless and addicted people in the town.
That move led to a deluge of complaints from nearby residents and business owners who had issues with drug use, bad behaviour and thefts. Bowing to those concerns, council decided to scale back what services are offered at 310 Division Street and shut the warming centre.
Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland convinced council that the centre should not be in his town, unless it was located on county land. He recommended busing the homeless to other municipalities and the county asked if any were interested, with little response.
County staff have come up with four possible options, but council was unable to reach a decision during a closed session on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and put the matter off until a special meeting. Staff recommended the warming centre operate from Nov. 1 until April 30.
Cleveland wanted the discussion held in public but the other members of council voted him down.
A staff report to council suggested the centre could be located at the paramedic facility on William Street in Cobourg, at the Northumberland County headquarters on Courthouse Road in Cobourg, in the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre in Colborne and the Fenella Hall on Highway 45 south of Roseneath. The last two options would require operating buses to take homeless people from Cobourg to the centre for the night.
Jordan Stevenson, executive director of the Integrated Homelessness and Addiction Response Centre in Cobourg, told council the proposed warming centre would simply be a babysitting service. He suggested his group could operate a centre that provides care by nurses and social workers who could help the 95 per cent of the people who have addiction problems.
The staff report estimates it would cost $376,000 to run a centre using mobile trailers at either the county building or the paramedic space. It would cost $218,000 to operate using the council chambers or the paramedic building’s boardroom. Using warehouse space currently not needed at the Agri-Food centre would cost $273,000, while renting Fenella Hall would cost $265,000. Those last two would also face transportation costs amid doubts that few of the homeless based in Cobourg would use the bus.
In an uncharacteristic outburst, Trent Hills Mayor Bob Crate criticized the amount of money the county is spending to help people who do not want it.
“We seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time and money for very few people that really don’t want our help. I’m getting to the point where I’d like to help those that would like help and provide whatever services they need. But I’m getting frustrated by the fact we are here dealing with, I don’t know, five people involved in this situation.
“We need to explain to these people that if they don’t do something they are going to die,” Crate said. “If they don’t listen, send them down the road.”
He added that there comes a time in life when people need to take responsibility for themselves.
The mayor noted that the county has spent millions to make help available at 310 Division Street.
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When the mayors of towns decide to run for mayor, they’re choosing to represent ALL people in their municipalities whether they like it or not. That includes (especially!) the homeless and addicted. Busing people out of town may satisfy those citizens who are bothered by the “nuisance”, but in my opinion, it is not a workable solution. Whether it’s 5 homeless people or 100, every person deserves to have the option of a warm/cool place to stay in our increasingly uncomfortable climate. Look at what has worked in other cities and countries, listen to the advocates and professionals, and make it happen here. Can we help everyone? No, of course not, but we have to do better. A lot better.
The chaos in this region’s response to people’s need for shelter is astounding. Born and raised in Cobourg, and as a long-time street nurse in Toronto, I have followed the growing need in this region. People clearly need a proper 24/7 shelter not just the opening of a site based on temperature. The NIMBY ‘not in my backyard’ philosophy of your local politicians is not good public policy.