A "homeless hub" of services destined to be located in the downtown core of North Bay could shift similar programming away from the Northern Pines campus on Chippewa Street West — and North Bay's mayor and the chair of the district social services board are at odds over the issue.
Talks continue as the various local partners charged with providing social services — and addressing homelessness, mental health, and addiction in North Bay and the area explore the establishment of a homeless hub within blocks of the downtown business area following the findings of a consultant's report, presented to the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board calling for such a relocation.
The Homelessness Hub Feasibility Study Report by Vink Consulting, received in late April by the DNSSAB Board of Directors, states the "hub should ideally be located in North Bay ... and should be within, or in close proximity to (two to three blocks from), the downtown core area and in close proximity to other social services."
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Following the April presentation of the report, a closed meeting was held involving service providers to discuss whether to implement the findings. Since then, several sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed to BayToday that the search is on to find an appropriate location. Although no final decision has been made, one possibility that has reportedly caught their eye is a building on Second Avenue East, next to the pedestrian underpass at the intersection with Fraser Street.
As has been openly discussed in DNSSAB Board meetings, the relocation of the warming centre to Fraser Street this past winter was a major source of contention for nearby business owners and reports say social disorder was rampant in the surrounding area.
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The hub would operate 24/7 and its projected operating costs are estimated at $2.675 million annually.
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North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico, also a DNSSAB director and City Councillor Mark King, the DNSSAB Board Chair have opposing viewpoints regarding relocating shelter services and daytime warming centre programming from Northern Pines to downtown.
The report states the proposed homeless hub "should not be located directly adjacent to elementary schools (kindergarten to grade six), splash pads and wading pools, licensed child care centres, or within a residential neighbourhood interior. However, consideration could be given to these locations if necessary, depending on the configuration of existing community amenities and the proposed site configuration for the hub, such as fenced-in areas."
Mayor Chirico is vehemently against maintaining the status quo at Northern Pines, let alone adding to the traffic in an area with multiple schools and a community for seniors.
"It states in the report, 'Nowhere near an elementary school or a daycare centre.' Chippewa is not a permanent location that I would agree with for a low-barrier, shelter or drop-in centre like they're proposing for the long term. Not a chance."
A proposal was tabled to move the warming centre to the Northern Pines campus across from Chippewa Intermediate and Secondary School until a permanent site could be found. The consultant's recommendation would eventually see the warming centre integrated into the new homeless hub, which is within sight of the problem area last winter if it is opened up in the Second Avenue East location.
See also: New Northern Pines model to address 'root cause' of homelessness
"It's a problem that every community is facing," added Chirico. "No matter where we put it somebody will not be happy about it. We can't move it out of town, there are no services. People need the services because quite frankly, as a society, we're failing those people who are on the street, we are failing and we have to provide them with that dignity."
King, meanwhile seems to have the deck stacked against him. DNSSAB senior staff members have been directed by a majority vote by the board members to pursue the downtown option. He feels strongly the homeless hub should go to Northern Pines where, over the last four years, DNSSAB has spent $14 million on capital and operating costs.
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"I was caught off guard by that recommendation," King admits, "but I understand now there was a fair bit of lobbying done by the people interviewed by the consultant."
King also expects a lot of pushback from business interests who fear the ramifications of placing the hub downtown.
"I had staff talk to the people that I consider the absolute best people to operate a hub, and that would be the Crisis Centre — they're very, very good at what they do. The response back from them was unless the warming centre was put into Northern Pines, they were not interested in running something somewhere else, specifically in the downtown core. There is really no one else experienced that I know of that can make that work."
In the interim, until the proposed hub comes to fruition, King says the warming centre will be temporarily situated at Northern Pines. The transitional housing component will also remain on Chippewa, King confirms. It's the low-barrier shelter programming that would join the hub. King says the transitional housing part of the campus is "without a doubt the best possible thing that could happen," at the Chippewa location.
"A number of parents at Chippewa are not happy. They don't want their kids to see homeless people on the street having breakdowns. I know they don't want to see that. The idea was to help people get away from that problem," at Northern Pines, King says.
The proposed hub, according to the report, would "serve high-need individuals experiencing homelessness, focusing on immediate stabilization and coordinated care planning aimed at rapid housing solutions ... By offering immediate support and facilitating access to housing and services, the hub aims to significantly mitigate the impacts of homelessness while aligning with long-term objectives of permanent housing."
"We learned from the warming centre what that scenario creates," King tells BayToday. "And, how difficult it is to manage, "unless the right service provider runs it. You need proper security. We had to bulk up security. We paid for video surveillance," on Fraser Street. "You don't see that happening at Northern Pines. There is a plan to move security out onto Chippewa Street," if the warming centre is there.
The hub could turn out to be not all it's cracked up to be, according to King.
"Everyone thinks that will solve the transient issue on the main streets. It will only increase that traffic. No question. It will increase the drug trade. The answer to this whole thing: Those who are addicted need support and they need help to get back to some sort of normal life."
