In spite of ongoing concerns and complaints from downtown businesses and residents, the city’s emergency shelter will remain at its present location at 10 Princess Avenue.
At Monday’s council meeting, Coun. Earl Taylor presented a motion requesting that staff explore alternate locations.
The motion was defeated 7-2 with Coun. Steve Peters the lone member of council supporting Taylor. The defeat wasn’t a surprise, according to Taylor.
Taylor added it appears council is willing to live with the turmoil associated with the present location.
His motion requested city staff be directed to investigate potential sites (in public or private ownership) within the city that could be presented to not-for-profit operators as alternative emergency shelter locations.
- Any potential alternative emergency shelter site recommended must fit the following criteria:
- be located 200 metres from schools and daycare facilities
- be located outside the Downtown Business Improvement Area (commonly known as the DDB area)
- comply with the city’s zoning by-laws and official plan contain or could be converted to contain a green space setting, including a covered shelter facility with washrooms, for protection from environmental factors, along with a secure space for the storage of personal possessions
All presented alternative emergency shelter sites must further enhance and support the services provided by existing community partners, including by offering the following:
- primary care services
- mental health services
- addiction care and support
- social services and employment support
- supportive housing access
The alternative site land acquisition and construction budget be set at $995,000 and funded from the Infrastructure Reserve.
Coun. Taylor would like alternative sites for an emergency shelter to be provided to council for referral to The INN board of directors by November 1 of this year.
Several members of council felt the budget up limit was far too low, with Coun. Steve Wookey suggesting $10 million would be a more realistic figure.
Mayor Joe Preston suggested that councillors vote ‘No’ on the motion.
He continued, “Look, we’re looking for perfection in a time when perfection, as more than one councillor said tonight, is not available to us. We’re at a time when we have homelessness as a crisis in this country and this council has been able to do work that makes it where St. Thomas stands out from a homelessness and emergency shelter point of view as a kind of guiding light to many other communities.”
Preston added, The INN is “mostly working,” but was quick to concede, “it is not perfection.”
Asked whether he would pursue the matter further, Taylor responded, “I don’t know what the next step is. I don’t know whether I have any fuel in the tank to be able to proceed further with this.
“I’m going to let this settle for a little bit for people to understand that council has decided that the turmoil and destruction that has happened in our downtown is quite satisfactory. That the businesses and property owners can deal with it. Continue to deal with it.
“But what I was looking for is a space where it would work. A space to call their own, rather than having to use private and public space. But anyway, oh well. It was a good test. I’ll take a page out of this.”
Written by Ian McCallum
