THUNDER BAY – Officials with two local service organizations say they're happy to see the city's commit to building a temporary shelter village by next summer, but they have questions about the plans to operate the site.
Executive Director of Elevate NWO Holly Gauvin said they anxiously waiting to find out who the operator is going to be.
Elevate is happy to partner with the city for the action plan said Gauvin, but their resources are fairly limited.
“This village is going to take a village to support it,” Gauvin told Newswatch.
Katie Bortolin, Director of Housing at the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, said they are also unsure of “what the city council has for operational design.”
According to Bortolin, the city has not reached out to the friendship centre for a partnership yet.
“We are grateful for city council to have progressive and proactive solutions for people living in encampments and to people who are living unsheltered through the winter. I think the friendship centre itself is supportive of anywhere that will house more people for the better and not to live cold through the winter,” said Bortolin.
Bortolin said the continuum of housing has changed significantly.
“Chronically unhoused, to episodically homeless, to people maintaining permanent housing”, according to Bortolin, isn’t a reality for people.
“I think it is looking at supportive housing, transitional housing, and all of the other pieces that are in between someone being chronically housed to permanently housed and making sure that those are supported from municipal and provincial and federal standpoint,” she added.
As a treatment centre, Elevate NWO isn’t in the business of housing. However, with a warming centre that provides harm reduction and education services, as well as, a treatment centre for HIV and HEP C, they understand the complexities of the work in front of them.
“I think a focus on providing the resources and the supports that people need the dignity of access,” Gauvin said.
“We know that these are bigger motivators than punishing people or trying to force people into doing something that they're unwilling or unable to do. We know that and any of us would also have a problem if we were being forced to do things against our will too,” she continued.
As part of the city's action plan, the temporary village will have 27/4 wrap-around services provided by specialized outreach workers employed by various community partners such as municipal departments, healthcare volunteers, food distribution services, transitional housing services, and employment services.
Gauvin said the city’s human rights-based action plan “is a sound approach” that will have better results, but it’s not the only approach the city should be focusing on.
The long-term goal is more permanent housing.
“That's what we need to see right now. All we're talking about is transition, transition, transition, but transition into what,” Gauvin said.
“We need to start holding our provincial government accountable for making sure that our people have something to transition into. Otherwise, we will be back here in a few short years,” she continued.
Two proposed sites for the temporary village are Kam River Heritage Park off Syndicate Avenue which would provide space for 100 units and 114 Miles St. East which could accommodate up to 80 units.
The human rights-based action plan, including the temporary village initiative, has an infrastructure and construction budget cap of $5 million, from the Renew Thunder Bay Reserve Fund, and a tax-supported operating budget of $1.5 million.
