A recent decision by the County of Simcoe to purchase property on Blake Street near Penetanguishene Road won’t properly help the people it’s aiming to serve or the residents who live in the area, according to at least one resident who lives in the east-Barrie neighbourhood.
Dwayne Sypulski told BarrieToday he and his neighbours received a letter — dated Oct. 31 and signed by the county’s general manager of social and community services, Mina Fayez-Bahgat — where they were informed the county had purchased the former Coates Fine Cars property at 445 Blake St.
The letter also told them to expect the delivery of some modular units to the property in coming weeks, which are being relocated from their current location on Rose Street.
These units, Fayez-Bahgat explained in the letter, which was hand-delivered to approximately 80 residents last month, will be fitted together to form a singular, pre-built housing structure intended to be used as a Supportive Rapid Re-Housing Program (SRRP) site for seniors (aged 55 and up) who are currently homeless.
“It is also our hope that the pre-existing building on site will be conducive to a possible use as a temperature-activated warming centre for our vulnerable population during the coldest days and/or nights of the year in winter 2024-25," he said in the letter. "Further confirmations on the warming centre component of this initiative are ongoing."
The county purchased this property for $6 million and the closing date was Nov. 25, county officials have confirmed to BarrieToday.
The property has been the cause of speculation by many as the site of the future Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hub. While that is not confirmed in the two-page letter, Fayez-Bahgat says the purchase of this property will allow the county to ensure it is able to “continue serving the diverse needs of residents of Barrie and area through Social and Community Services.”
While Sypulski says he's empathetic to the “urgent need for better options and facilities,” he told BarrieToday he doesn’t think the location of the property on the edge of the city was the right choice.
Sypulski also questions the county’s decision to spend millions in taxpayers' money to purchase the building without public knowledge, calling out city councillors' lack of communication to residents as “unacceptable.”
“While the city has stated that this is a county initiative and out of its hands, that stance is unacceptable," he said. "This development is occurring within Barrie and our elected officials should advocate for the community.
"Panic buying and knee-jerk solutions will not solve these complex issues,” he added, noting the location may not serve Barrie’s homeless effectively but instead could draw individuals from neighbouring areas and ultimately exacerbate the problem.
Coun. Clare Riepma, who represents Ward 1 on Barrie council, was not immediately available for comment.
The county is responsible for social housing and homelessness programs in Barrie. However, the city provides the county with annual funding for such programs.
Sypulski says homelessness often intersects with addiction and mental health challenges, which he believes could lead to crime and encampments.
“As someone living nearby with my wife, daughter and mother-in-law with Alzheimer's, my foremost concern is their safety," he said. "While not all individuals experiencing homelessness are involved in criminal activity, a substantial portion of this population struggles with issues such as petty theft, violent behaviour, illegal drug use and prostitution."
Sypulski also says they have already witnessed significant challenges at the nearby No Frills Plaza on Blake Street.
"It’s deeply troubling to imagine how these problems might escalate if the facility is built at 445 Blake St.," he added.
Although the current zoning does not require neighbourhood consultation for the SRRP, noted the county letter, it acknowledged the “importance of near neighbour engagement,” adding that any future use of the Blake Street site, beyond the modular building and possible warming centre, will be communicated to residents.
Fayez-Bahgat explained the SRRP is to provide services, housing and support to seniors in need, with the goal of securing permanent, affordable housing for them quickly – typically within 180 days.
“These individuals have been identified as 'situationally' homeless … due to a recent life event, rather than chronically homeless," he said. "This program provides in-house support to find and integrate into permanent housing successfully, while ensuring that they will have the best chance of success in their housing journey."
The previous program on Rose Street in Barrie — which served adults over the age of 18 — led to many successful outcomes and resulted in “no known negative impacts” on the surrounding neighbourhood, Fayez-Bahgat stated in the letter. He also noted the success of that program led to a recent expansion in Orillia of a youth-based SRRP program, as well as a seniors-based SRRP program in Collingwood.
The SSRP is not a shelter but rather a “temporary affordable home for individuals as they prepare for independent, and permanent, living situations,” Fayez-Bahgat pointed out. He said the county will be contracting a qualified agency to provide comprehensive, 24/7 on-site services, staffed with trained professionals.
It is expected to house approximately 14 people at a time.
Fayez-Bahgat also noted once a provider has been selected to operate this site, a community information session will be held for residents in the area to hear more about the project, as well as to ask questions.
“From our previous experience on Rose Street, we know that there was initial trepidation when we installed it in late 2022. Once it was installed and fully operational, after experiencing the temporary SRRP’s operations, the surrounding community’s initial concerns were alleviated, and the surrounding community’s impact was negligible,” wrote Fayez-Bahgat.
“The nature of using a modular building on site enables the county to transport and use the structure in other locations, should needs arise in the future," he added.
Sypulski told BarrieToday the lack of public consultation about plans to move the structures to the Blake Street site and establish a warming centre further highlights what he says has been a lack of transparency on the part of the city and the county.
“Limiting notifications to residents within 120 metres of the site seems calculated to avoid resistance. If this location were truly suitable, a public announcement would have been made confidently,” he said.
While the county has yet to confirm whether the property will ultimately be used to house the HART hub, Fayez-Bahgat did say the county, in partnership with multiple local agencies and organizations, has submitted an application to the province to operate a HART hub in the city.
“It is important to note that the location for this program has not yet been confirmed and that the supports and services offered through a potential HART hub program may not all occur at one location," he said.
Sypulski is concerned that should the proposed HART hub be located there, the neighbourhood will see an increase in nearby transient residents, crime and encampments, which he said is often seen with treatment and outreach facilities elsewhere.
“The nearby farmer fields could easily become new encampment sites,” he said. “Protecting my family’s safety and our hard-earned investment in this neighbourhood is a priority. My wife and I worked hard for everything we have, giving back along the way, and there should be no shame in protecting what we’ve built.”
