Some residents may have forgotten , but it's been nearly seven months since Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall declared a state of emergency on encampments, a designation yet to be lifted.
However, the city says there has been great progress.
In its monthly update to council, staff said efforts under the emergency order have led to 111 encampment sites on city-owned property being addressed.
In addition, there is two-known encampments on city property, the locations of which were not disclosed in the update.
At the same time, the County of Simcoe, which conducts the relocation efforts for those affected, has stated more than 700 people in Barrie have been connected to homelessness services over the past 30 days.
For the County, the HART Hub initiative, which was rolled out in June, has been the main destination for those directed to additional support.
A large portion of those individuals fall into an “unknown” category, meaning their current housing situation is unclear. Of those, more than half were last served through overnight shelters but are no longer staying in them, while others were connected through outreach services or community meal programs.
Shelter capacity continues to be a challenge. Officials say warming centres and shelters across the region have been operating at or above capacity in recent weeks to ensure no one is turned away. Those warming centres are expected to remain open nightly until Apr. 30.
Looking ahead, the City and County are finalizing a coordinated encampment response protocol in anticipation of increased need during the warmer months.
Meanwhile, a new supportive housing site on Tiffin Street, located at the former site of a County paramedic station, is expected to begin welcoming residents in the coming weeks. Individuals will be moved in gradually, in groups of 10, with the goal of filling all 40 beds by May.
The Tiffin Street location will operate as a supportive housing program, not as an emergency shelter, according to staff, who adding that the site will not offer drop-in services or daytime discharges and will operate with 24-hour security.
Coun. Jim Harris, who represents Ward 8 where the project is located, says he's optimistic about the Tiffin Street project, similar to Lucy's Place, another supportive housing movement on Essa Road.
"It's fit wonderfully as a supportive housing model and also a place where people can live in dignity and regain their life and their autonomy and all the positive things go with having a safe and affordable place to live and support," he said during the meeting.
The city says it is also working with the county to address neighbourhood concerns, including a recent increase in discarded items near Trinity Anglican Church on Collier Street.
Officials say public communication and community consultation will continue, with Nuttall floating the idea of having County officials give a presentation about their perspective about at a future meeting of either the public safety committee or affordability committee.
Barrie has been under a state of emergency since Sept. 9. Notably, in that time, Premier Doug Ford visited the City to observe the issue, and Nuttall signed a strong mayor order to eventually add Audrey Milligan Pond, the site of a former encampment, to the City's conservation trust, among other things.
