Temporary homeless shelter in Barrie Ont., will be in operation for winter
Global News
The County of Simcoe will soon be ready to open a new temporary homeless shelter to house up to 50 people throughout cold winter months.
The County of Simcoe will soon be ready to open a new temporary homeless shelter to house up to 50 people in the winter months.
The project is a joint endeavour with the City of Barrie and will be run by the David Busby Centre.
“It can take months, or even years, to implement a solution like this, however, due to collaboration, partnership and hard work, it came together extremely fast. We thank our partners at the City, Province, our vendor 720 Solutions and everyone working and volunteering to help our vulnerable residents,” said George Cornell, County of Simcoe warden.
Cornell said the site in question is part of a longer-term plan for affordable housing and made sense for the temporary shelter site on Rose Street.
The temporary initiative costs approximately $1.2 million, funded by the county and the City of Barrie.
Cornell said residents would be housed four people to a room with bunk beds and a common area and kitchenette.
The county will also offer the motel voucher program for people to use when shelter beds are full, and would have warming centre locations throughout Simcoe County when the temperature drops below -15 C.
Although this is the first year in use, Cornell said the county would look at how to reuse the units beyond this season.