A new city manager’s report reveals Greater Sudbury’s now closed supervised consumption site could house a warming centre in the coming months, and possibly into 2025.
With winter on the way, recommendations for homelessness services are on the agenda for the Sept. 9 community and emergency services meeting.
In addition to turning The Spot’s former location into a overnight warming centre for up to 50 people, the report recommends extending hours of the Samaritan Centre and the Off the Street shelter and points to the potential for another shelter, the Safe Harbour house, to increase their number of beds and turn to 24-hour emergency and transitional housing.
Sudbury’s city council approved the Roadmap to End homelessness by 2030 in May, a reinvestment in affordable housing — that is, rental costs totalling no more than 30 per cent of one’s income — with a focus on shovel-ready projects with a short turnaround.
But as noted in the report, authored by Gail Spencer, city manager of housing security and homelessness, “it is necessary to ensure that those individuals experiencing homelessness are protected in the interim.”
The recommendations will bring a cost of $259,527 covering the remainder of 2024. The funds are not currently budgeted and “would form part of the year-end position,” states the report.
The total 2025 costs are $279,370 and would be added to the 2025 base budget. “This amount reflects incremental costs to extend operating hours at the Samaritan Centre for January 1, 2025 to April 30, 2025,” states the report, noting that additional funding for enhanced encampment services “is expected to be announced by the federal government this fall which would offset these costs.”
The funding comes in the wake of a failing grade on the city’s homelessness report card for 2023, and the status of the By-Name List in Sudbury, which as of July 30 showed 200 people living in 44 encampments across Sudbury.
“This is a significant increase from the same time last year when we knew of 77 people across 44 locations,” said the city in a statement.
At the time, and in the current report, the city points to “the lack of investment in supportive and deep core housing development, inadequate social assistance rates, rising market rents, and increased need for mental health and addiction supports.”
The report’s background information notes that funding for more warming spaces was needed last year as “Health Sciences North was reporting increased use of the emergency department as a warming location for homeless individuals and community partners who were seeking additional indoor locations to prevent cold-related injuries and death.”
The city had $436,079 in federal funds that had to be used by April 30, and used to to alleviate HSN’s burden by temporarily funding increased access to daytime and overnight warming spaces at several locations including Grace United Church in the Donovan, Sudbury’s Centre for Transitional Care in the Flour Mill, and the downtown Samaritan Centre.
Details of service increases:
Of the 2024 funding, $50,000 would go to renovations, repurposing the trailers that once housed the site, located at 24 Energy Court, as an overnight warming centre. The report states staff anticipate space for 50 people with access to washrooms, as well as necessary support staff and security. But operating costs are not included as yet. A Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued to find an operator for the warming centre program, states the report, estimated to operate from November 1, to April 30, 2025, from 9 pm to 8 am.
The balance of the funds, $209,527 would extend operating hours at the Samaritan Centre, 344 Elgin St., for the period of October 1, 2024 to December 31. The centre provides access to a safe space, washrooms, computers, internet, and support staff for up to 25 persons at a time.
New Hope Outreach, which operates the Samaritan Centre, has submitted a proposal to extend drop-in operating hours from October 1 to April 30, 2025, with an aim to have 24-hour operational support for an additional cost of $488,897.
The Off the Street Shelter, located at 200 Larch St., offers 35 beds from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., but the report states that over the last 12 months, the shelter has operated at a 96 per cent occupancy rate. This has spurred a proposal to extend the stay by four hours, from 9 p.m. to 11 a.m. “Staff are currently awaiting a budget submission from the program for consideration,” states the report.
The Elizabeth Fry Society Safe Harbour House Emergency Shelter is currently open from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., providing 10 low-barrier shelter beds for adult women and those who identify as nonbinary, but over the last 12 months, the report notes it has operated at a 91 per cent occupancy rate.
“Staff are in discussion with Elizabeth Fry Society to explore opportunities to expand,” states the report, “including securing additional capital to operate the program with an increased number of beds, and funding opportunities through the province to transition a number of emergency shelter beds to transitional housing beds to operate 24 hours per day.”
As for next steps, the report states that with council approval, the city will move forward with increasing Samaritan Centre hours as well as the remediation of the Energy Court trailer. The operator RFP for the site will be issued and presented to council for approval, and “staff will bring forward recommendations regarding the extension of hours at CMHA Off the Street Shelter and Elizabeth Fry Society Safe Harbour House following the review of proposals and associated budgets submitted by these programs.”
Jenny Lamothe covers vulnerable and marginalized populations for Sudbury.com.