Peter Van Der Heyden may be new to Midland, but that didn't stop him from attending a two-part ‘hope, housing and health' symposium’ at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre.
“I've been helping out lately in the community with some of the homeless, and trying to help them with things they don't know about,” said Van Der Heyden, who attended the event to network with community groups. “Boy Scout skills, or army techniques of surviving the winter and getting shelters off the ground, and health things.
“Trench foot is something that people don't realize is a problem that you could come across, or you don't always have to go to the drugstore to get something,” he added. “I have a truck and trailer so I've helped people when they're moving out of a camp and they found a home.
“I don't play angles; I'm just a fella trying to help out. And I'm in a hard corner as well, but it doesn't mean that I can't help the other ones that are in a tough or a tougher corner,” Van Der Heyden shared.
The second annual event gave residents an opportunity to meet more than 15 groups and service providers in the area, followed by a question and answer period.
“Today’s event is important to have the opportunity for the service providers to share what they do, and identify the gaps or the duplications (between them),” said Midland Coun. Catherine MacDonald, who had pushed for the second annual symposium.
“This year differs a little bit; to review what we accomplished last year to try and improve the community tool kit.”
Some of the groups involved included: the Guesthouse Shelter; Huronia Community Foundation; Gateway Centre for Learning; ConnexOntario; 211 Ontario; the street outreach program from the Salvation Army; Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care; Chigamik Community Health Centre; and the Georgian Bay Native Friendship Centre.
Roughly 40 residents appeared as the doors opened for the Thursday afternoon and evening event, with varying reasons to attend and interest in having their say.
One resident who asked to be known as Katherine stated she lived in the Midland Tower apartments at 303 Midland Avenue, and had lost sleep due to late night activity in the parking lot behind the King Street businesses.
“That (green transformer station behind No Frills) that they all hang out at, and go into the corner and drop their pants and go to the bathroom, and do a lot of other things there – that drives me nuts,” said Katherine, who said she was intent on attending the question and answer session to contact the OPP directly and get a response.
“From 10:00 p.m. until 12:00 a.m. it’s little cars with big mufflers and motorbikes, just revving up and down Midland Avenue; and then from 12:00 till 3 in the morning is the homeless having a party in the parking lot. Sometimes there's a lot of screaming; all that so you don't get any sleep. They’ve (OPP) got to be downtown more often at night to clear them out.”
Resident Betty Kerwin said that the symposium was informative from what she’d learned in speaking with representatives “about the housing crisis in Midland, and what these people are offering.”
