The County of Simcoe is changing a few things this year in its homeless winter response plan in the hopes of serving the at-risk community better.
Two critical changes in the plan include creating a centralized booking system to identify available beds for people looking to escape the winter weather.
The county said it will allow people to access warning centres seven days a week instead of just when the temperatures drop to a certain level.
“I think it’s hard to adapt to the needs of the community based on what the weather might be, and we found that in order for clients to consistently access services safely, there need to be an array of different options for the client,” said Mina Fayez Bahgat, county general manager.
“We recognize the need for additional support throughout the winter months to ensure that no one is left out in the cold who is seeking a space indoors.”
The plan will be in place from Oct. 15 until Apr. 30.
Warming centres will open seven days a week in Barrie during the day and in Orillia and Simcoe for overnight stays.
The county will also add more mobile response outreach teams supporting warming and transportation to shelters during inclement weather. It will add up to 107 additional temporary shelter beds as needed during this time.
The plan includes creating an overnight shelter program at Rose Street, adding 35 to 40 additional beds for overnight stays open 18 hours a day to those in need.
“These are differences from last winter, where that facility was only activated overnight and was a program during the day and was activated during inclement weather. We are able to now to actively operate it throughout the whole winter and the additional daytime programming,” Fayez Bahgat said.
The change to operating warming centres seven days a week is also welcome by those who work with the city’s most vulnerable.
“The new plan that’s been unveiled by the county to not be following a direct temperature-activated service is definitely a huge win for the community,” said Champagne Thomson, senior manager of community outreach and fundraising at the Gilbert Centre.
Thomson noted that basing decisions on temperature often does not take into effect other weather-related illnesses.
“Looking at trench foot, things like that, when we look at specifically weather activation, we oftentimes are then put into the wayside (with) some of those other components that lead folks to need to have a safe, dry place to spend time.”
The Gilbert Centre will operate a warming centre in Barrie at its Bradford Street location, giving those who need to escape the cold access to food and a warm space from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and access to other services like a dryer or computer.
Moving into the second half of winter, Fayez Bahgat said the county would also look at expanding efforts to add a mobile warning response team to help connect those in need with additional shelter spaces.
Fayez Bahgat said another factor in the county’s response will be data collection and tracking how and where services are needed.
“It allows us to have a better-informed approach to decision making where we can look at the daily usage, understand where shelters are being overutilized and overburdened, and where in other parts of the county the shelter systems are underutilized. Having that mobile response and transportation connectivity allows us to operate the system as a whole and to ensure that everybody can have access to an available bed if they so choose,” he said.
“The data is to help inform our daytime and daily decision-making to be able to customize and narrowly tailor our winter responses throughout the season and to ensure that everyone’s being supported, especially where they need the support the most.”
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