On a day the local temperature warranted an extreme cold warning, the directors of the District of Nipissing Social Service Administration Board met and discussed the lack of a warming centre in North Bay.
With capacity limits related to the COVID-19 pandemic making traditional warming spots for people without shelter — such as coffee shops and the public library — unusable for community members due to public health restrictions, DNSSAB's community services committee addressed what has held up the establishment of a warming centre this winter.
"Try walking the streets right now," said Coun. Bill Vrebosch in leading the discussion. "It's almost inhumane," without a warming centre. "We get the question, 'Why haven't we got one?'"
See related: Homeless couch surfing through the cold
The major roadblock in getting a warming centre up and running has to do with a lack of staff, the committee heard during its meeting, Wednesday.
"We did fund an operator for warming centre services through the winter," said Stacey Cyopeck, DNSSAB'S director of housing programs, "but challenges with staffing have delayed that from being implemented."
In an attempt to fill the gap, Cyopeck relayed the Crisis Centre, now the operator of the Gateway House on Chippewa Street West has been extending the low-barrier shelter's hours — if staff permits — to noon instead of 8 a.m. so individuals can stay somewhere warm longer.
And, Cyopeck advised, with some funding from DNSSAB for extra security and staff, the City of North Bay's transit terminal is also being used as a makeshift warming centre on extremely cold days.
"Before the holidays, community agencies [involved with] homelessness were working to put together a daytime warming centre and it was moving along, but again, some staffing challenges have put a bit of a wrinkle into the plan," Cyopeck added.
Vrebosch asked if the transit terminal was to be considered the official warming centre and Cyopeck responded, "No, I think that's a solution in the meantime until community agencies can get a plan implemented due to the staffing challenges they're all facing right now."
"This is a dangerous situation," board member Coun. Scott Robertson added. "It's difficult to accept that we just can't hire someone or none of our community groups are willing or able to take this on."
Cyopeck clarified, saying the situation "is not a matter of the community partners being unwilling," to take on the warming centre. "We definitely had several interested in assisting or operating or working on a solution collaboratively. There is interest there and a recognized need. What shifted was the staff availability."
Throughout the meeting, it was stated repeatedly that many social services organizations are stretched thin as staff members find themselves in isolation for either having experienced symptoms of the COVID-19 virus or because they are close contacts of a possible or confirmed case. This has caused a strain on resources leading to the aforementioned staffing challenges.
The committee heard many agencies are operating with a skeleton staff. This leaves no extra workforce to operate a warming centre on top of that. Even a warming centre staffed with student volunteers, as Robertson suggested, would still require the consistent presence of trained agency staff and additional security, per Cyopeck.
Prior to the holidays, a private individual made the former Health Unit building available to the DNSSAB at no cost for a warming centre, according to Board Chair Coun. Mark King. "We went through the process in trying to find an operator," and also encountered the same staffing issues.
"We're trying our darnedest to make this work but we're in a tough spot, as far as the ability to manage," the situation, King said. "I'm certainly concerned about it."
Eight individuals are in supportive transitional housing at the Gateway House. It is expected eight more can occupy the second floor once staffing levels increase at the Crisis Centre. That is expected to happen soon, according to Cyopeck.
Still, there are upwards of 60 individuals regularly staying at either the local Four Elms shelter or as "overflow" in motels when capacity is reached.
Robertson hoped the work would continue to find a better solution than using the transit terminal as an emergency warming centre.
"The conversations are ongoing and as soon as staff are available to put a plan into place — which we're hopeful will not be too long from now — I believe we'll see a warming centre operating," Cyopeck responded.
Robertson then asked whether the DNSSAB would just take over the project altogether.
"The process for recruitment takes a bit of time," added Cyopeck. "It would be much faster if the staffing was available to be redeployed from community agencies to a warming centre. By the time we got through the recruitment process the need [for a warming centre] would not be there anymore."
