Cold winter coming for Sturgeon Falls’ homeless

Between 20 to 26 people are living in tents in Sturgeon Falls. Some find spots in the bush on the fringe of town, but most pitch their tents in an empty parking lot off Coursol Road, near the Trans-Canada Highway that cuts through town.

So explained Josee Rainville, who chairs the organization No More Tears – a grassroots collective founded to help the homeless in West Nipissing. Rainville, along with 14 volunteers, often checks in on those living rough and offers items to make life more bearable. The group also helps connect people to available resources.

“What’s happening now is they’re all gathering in one place, which they’re starting to call a tent city,” Rainville said. “And the municipality is not too happy about that, but we do not know what to do with them.”

You can’t magically make a home appear for someone, she added, and all too often, the shelters are full. Plus, the shelters are in North Bay.

No More Tears has reached out to the municipality for help with the problem. The town could apply for funding to operate some type of shelter, Rainville explained. Her group is not a registered charity, or a non-profit, although plans are in the works to make that happen one day. In the meantime, No More Tears can’t apply for many grants on its own, which is why the town’s help is essential.

Rainville explained that council told the group it would discuss the issue at an upcoming meeting, and she looks forward to that. "We will be discussing cold weather plans at our council meeting on Nov 7," noted Mayor Kathleen Rochon. "It is important to note that the responsibility of providing housing and homelessness services in the region falls under DNSSAB. The municipality does not directly fund or administer these programs," Mayor Rochon added. DNSSAB stands for the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board.

Visible homelessness is a fairly new phenomenon in Sturgeon Falls. Shelters were not needed years ago, but now, No More Tears is noticing a homeless population that remains consistently around the low to mid-twenties. More support is needed in West Nipissing, Rainville emphasized.

“We have to displace people from all of their supports that they have in Sturgeon Falls,” she said, referring to bringing people to the shelters in North Bay. “And often, when they come to North Bay, they are told no, we have no room for you.”

“Then what? They’re stuck walking the streets of North Bay, walking back to Sturgeon Falls.”

See: Sturgeon Falls group formed to help homeless

The community is helping, and as more become aware of the problem, others continue to come on board. The Pentecostal Church often has drives for clothes like boots and jackets, and No More Tears has teamed up with Our Lady of Sorrow Church to open a soup kitchen on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month for lunch. There is also the Food Bank.

There has never been a warming centre or a shelter in Sturgeon Falls, Rainville explained, as the need was not there. However, No More Tears feels the time has come to create something to help the people living in tents.

“The ones that we are assisting right now are all from the Sturgeon Falls area,” she noted, adding that only a couple of people are passing through. Many found themselves in dire straits after losing their jobs, especially during Covid. One recent resident of the tent city, a young woman, recently moved into “a trailer that has heat,” but many more are not that lucky yet.

With winter coming, No More Tears will continue to raise awareness, advocate, and help Sturgeon Falls’ homeless population as they can. “This is the first time that this is happening in the Sturgeon Falls area,” Rainville, a lifelong resident, observed. “So, we’re just trying to do our best.”

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.