Timmins shelter moving into new space to help more people experiencing homelessness

An organization helping people experiencing homelessness in Timmins will soon be expanding.

The group, called Living Space, runs a shelter, and also offers services like counselling and other supports. Next month, the organization will begin transitioning to a new space on Spruce Street. 

Executive director Jason Sereda says the new space will allow for a larger emergency shelter. There are more than 350 people experiencing chronic homelessness in the community. 

"So we know on any given night we're only able to accommodate 30 people in the emergency shelter. So we still have hundreds of people who have nowhere to go, and really have to rely on the support of their friends or family for a place to sleep each night," he said.

The new shelter will be able to accommodate 50 people, and is expected to be operational by October. The existing space on Cedar Street will be re-purposed into transitional housing.

Sereda says the pandemic has been largely responsible for the growth in demand for the organization's services over the past year.

But not everyone is happy with the location of the new shelter.

Radio-Canada reports that a resident of the neighborhood where the new shelter will be located, has started a petition asking the city to prevent the move.

Lisa Dagenais says at the outset, she approved of opening of a new shelter, but not at the Spruce Street location.

She worries about vandalism and says no one consulted with neighbouring residents before making a decision.

"The community feels that it was done behind their backs," Dagenais said.

The petition, created on April 24, has collected just over 1,100 signatures, as of Monday.

Brian Marks, the executive director of the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board , says there was no public consultation as no zoning changes were required.

"This opposition to the shelter shows that there is still a lot of awareness to do to tackle homelessness," he said, adding that he's committed to discussing any concerns with residents in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, Sereda says he's glad that more help is on its way for those in need of shelter.

"There's a large percentage of the population that is marginalized and it's having a hard time coping during this pandemic," he said.

"We know we need to increase access to things like harm reduction support or mental health counselling or other things that might help people better cope, and prevent them from becoming homeless in the first place."