Consultant recommends integrated homelessness hub in downtown North Bay
CBC
A consultant's report recommending a 24-hour, seven day a week homelessness hub for downtown North Bay is being met with some scepticism by the chair of the Nipissing District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB).
The report, commissioned last fall, details an integrated low-barrier shelter and homeless hub to help high-needs people obtain permanent housing.
The study also included details of the costs and resources required for planning, implementation, and operation, as well as recommendations on how to sustain funding for operations.
In its report, Vink Consulting describes the hub "as a central point for co-ordinated, comprehensive services ranging from basic needs to intensive support services."
It estimates such a facility would cost $2.67 million to operate annually.
The board also received a review of the homelessness system in the Nipissing district to identify gaps, cultural equity, barriers, and opportunities.
The DSSAB covers 11 municipalities, two First Nations and two unincorporated areas
King says he was surprised at the consultant's recommendation for a homelessness hub because North Bay already has something similar.
"We've gone through a substantial effort, and it has taken four years, to establish Northern Pines which is a low-barrier shelter along with transitional housing on the same property. So I wasn't overly happy with the report to be honest with you," he said.
King says he was not the only one caught by surprise.
"I think the board was surprised at the response from the consultant because I did hear back from other board members questioning whether or not that was the right direction to go in," he said.
He said he doesn't think there's support for the financial case for another hub.
Northern Pines is a complex of 60 transitional and supportive housing units that also incorporates the shelter.
The main difference with the new recommendation, he said, is location, with a hub being proposed within a two to three block radius of the downtown while Northern Pines is about six blocks away.
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