The City of Barrie is providing $5,000 in funding to both the Elizabeth Fry Society and John Howard Society to assist with their family reunification programs.
Originally, council approved funding in May 2023 to address chronic homelessness and enhance public safety in Barrie. It also approved funding for a family reunification fund to pay for the transportation costs and to help reunite individuals with families or support groups.
It then provided $10,000 to each organization in 2023, which carried them through two years. The additional $5,000 is expected to sustain the programs for another year.
“Every person deserves the chance to reconnect with family and find stability,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall in a release. “By continuing to invest in programs like this, we’re helping people take meaningful steps toward rebuilding their lives and strengthening our community.”
“The John Howard Society of Simcoe & Muskoka is deeply grateful to the City of Barrie for their generous $5,000 Family Reunification Fund contribution,” said John Howard Society of Simcoe Muskoka executive director Hayley Murdoch-Fyke in a release. “This fund plays a vital role in helping individuals rebuild their lives by reconnecting with family and support networks after incarceration."
Murdoch-Fyke says the fund has supported 88 individuals locally since its launch in 2023 and has allowed those people to access stability and continue the society's work to focused on prevention, intervention, and re-integration across the province for those affected by the criminal justice system..
Meanwhile, the Elizabeth Fry Society helped 61 people locally through the last round of funding. Those individuals were able to return to home communities where they had family or established support systems.
“This renewed investment ensures we can continue to remove barriers, promote stability, and reconnect people with the networks that help them thrive,” Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe Muskoka executive director Meghan Chambers said in a release.
The funding announcement follows the state of emergency in Barrie declared by Nuttall September 9 to address encampments.
Since then, the City of Barrie and County of Simcoe have coordinated to address several such sites in the city, provide individuals with alternate shelter and supports, and restore the impacted areas.
According to data from the County of Simcoe’s Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS), as of October 6, 2025 there was 619 people experiencing homelessness in Barrie.
