Title
DEPUTATION BY JENNIFER VAN GENNIP CONCERNING MOTION 23-G-023 - 2023 BUSINESS PLAN AND BUDGET
Jennifer van Gennip, Barrie Housing and Homelessness Justice Network, provided a deputation concerning motion 23-G-023, the 2023 Business Plan and Budget.
Ms. van Gennip requested Council consider providing funding for a 24/7 warming centre next winter. She commented that housing is human right and everyone deserves a safe and affordable home, particularly during the winter months.
Ms. van Gennip advised that the need for warming centres increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and that a fully funded warming centre was provided for the first time this year through funding from the County of Simcoe, the City of Barrie, and community donations. She advised that this warming centre, led by the John Howard Society and supported by the Gilbert Centre and volunteers, served 195 individuals in need by providing individuals with a consistent, welcoming, and low barrier place to go during the winter months.
Ms. van Gennip shared the experiences of three people experiencing homelessness that she met last winter. She stated that as little as 1 year ago, she would have appeared before Council requesting support for affordable housing policies. However, this year she is asking for help to keep people alive during the winter. Ms. van Gennip advised that the proposal by the John Howard Society to provide daytime warming was denied by the County of Simcoe, and as a result there is only overnight warming centres that are available when the temperature is -15 degrees celsius or below.
Ms. van Gennip advised that prior to the pandemic, providers were reporting that 15 percent of shelter users were chronically homeless, and the remaining were experiencing a short-term homelessness episode. She stated that during the pandemic, homelessness has ballooned and that the longer a person is homeless, the higher the compound effects of trauma, sleep deprivation, negative impact to mental h...
Click here for full text