A Campus of Care is being launched in Barrie, and it begins with a $250,000 capital upgrade to a former paramedic station on Tiffin Street, which will open later this year to support those experiencing homelessness.
Barrie Cares, who launched the temporary Campus Wednesday along with its community partners, says renovations will create a kitchen and dining area, warming space, and urgent care rooms to connect people with immediate support and health services. The collective stressed the importance of implementing those supports in phase one with winter coming.
Next door, the County of Simcoe will provide 40 temporary bridge-housing units to create a seamless pathway from emergency shelter to stability and recovery for an estimated 1,200 people over the next year. Construction efforts have begun on that property.
According to Barrie Cares, the two sites will form an integrated system, a bridge between crisis and long-term care. Planning continues for the permanent Campus of Care, which represents phase two.
"Our community has faced one of the most visible and urgent challenges in our history," he said at Wednesday's press conference. "The City of Barrie's declaration of a state of emergency and the County of Simcoe's 10-point strategy on homelessness made one thing clear: lasting solutions require coordination, compassion and commitment."
"This is the first tangible step toward a truly coordinated system of care," said Barrie Cares chairman Rowley Ramey in a news release. "By working together--city, county, health partners, business leaders, and community, we can restore dignity, stability, and hope for those who need it most."
Barrie Cares will lead the capital fundraising for both the temporary and permanent sites, with confidence it can achieve its $250,000 goal rather quickly.
Many partners are involved with the project including the City of Barrie, County of Simcoe, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Simcoe County branch, Georgian College, Barrie Police Service, and the Barrie Chamber of Commerce.
The Campus of Care model envisions "a future where homelessness is a solvable challenge, one that we can overcome together and where no one in Barrie is left behind," according to Larche.
It will provide a centralized intake and assessment hub with wrap-around supports such as primary health care and mental health and addiction services. Referrals to the program will still be handled by the County of Simcoe, who is the main coordinator of the effort.
While this temporary campus is not directly affiliated with the County's HART Hub model, Barrie Cares will help provide access to its services.
"The HART Hub [model] is very specifically geared towards addiction issues," Larche told Barrie 360. "People will come in here, we believe that they really need some addiction help. We'll work with CMHA and the County to put them into that Hard Hub program that will work with them specifically on helping them get their addictions under control."
Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall calls the initiative a model of community strength.
"The improvements at Tiffin Street will connect people with care, stability, and hope," he said in a news release. Together, we're building a caring and connected Barrie."
"This work is a clear example of collaboration and action and a shared commitment to helping people find stability and hope," said City of Barrie Coun. Jim Harris, who attended Wednesday's press conference on behalf of Nuttall.
A permanent Campus of Care is expected to open in 2028 on city-owned property. Larche says they hope to have the land selected within the next year, which will be the home of a pupose-built facility of nearly 2,800 square metres.
That facility will serve as a centralized triage and assessment hub for the homelessness system, offering 50 short-term beds with 24-7 support, showers, laundry, meals, medical and health care, addiction treatment, and recovery and navigation, housing and justice support services, and even pet friendly spaces.
Georgian College's involvement as a community partner leaves the door open for students to get directly involved in the community through health and social services.
"We do see student placements being able to work through the Campus of Care model and really help the greater cause while also supporting student learning," Georgian College president and CEO Kevin Weaver said to Barrie360.
"The more placements we have, the better it is for students, but it also is a giveback to the community."
"Homelessness touches every part of our community: health, economics, safety, and human dignity," Larche concludes. "But complex doesn't mean impossible. When systems work together, lives change."
