Barrie Cares celebrates solving the homeless crisis one bed at a time

Barrie Cares Campus of Care sign in this file image.

“Homelessness is a solvable challenge that we overcome together.”

At least that’s the approach Barrie Cares is taking by moving from their initial vision towards hope to action.

The Barrie Cares community is building a coordinated system that aims to restore dignity and stability to its most vulnerable residents.

Phase One Nearing Completion

Barrie Cares announced Tuesday that the community is nearing the $250,000 fundraising goal required to complete Phase One of the Campus of Care.

Barrie Cares serves as the lead agency under the City of Barrie’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan

Located at 113 Tiffin Street, this immediate intervention project transforms the former paramedic building into a temporary hub featuring a modular kitchen, dining area, warming space, and urgent-care rooms.

The centre is scheduled to open this winter, and it will operate in conjunction with 40 temporary units provided next door by Simcoe County.

Together, these emergency shelters offer a strong example of the vision in action.

Progress Through Partnership HART of Simcoe County

Barrie Cares brought like-minded people together to facilitate the initial applications for the Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) of Simcoe County.

This collaboration is already changing lives. Since its launch, HART of Simcoe County has:

• Ensured 45 people had access to live-in treatment.
• Joined more than 240 people with community-based services.

Furthermore, through advocacy from Barrie Cares working with the County of Simcoe and local partners, bed capacity has expanded significantly compared to a year ago. Over 200 beds will soon be available to support vulnerable residents.

United in Advocacy

Barrie Cares stands firmly behind the recent urgent requests sent by municipal partners to the Ontario government.

“We have built the system, aligned the partners, and proven the concept,” said Rowley Ramey, chairperson of Barrie Cares. “Now, we stand with the city and county in asking the province to partner with us to ensure this model is sustainable.”

Barrie Cares fully endorses these appeals from:

• Mayor Alex Nuttall’s letter to the Minister of Finance: We support the City’s request for a top-up to the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB). This is the most effective tool to transition people from the HART Hub and shelters into market rentals, preventing a return to homelessness.
• Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke’s letter to the Associate Minister of Mental Health: We support the County’s request to expand HART services, including funding for ‘spoke’ locations in Midland and Orillia and the reinstatement of start-up funding for rent subsidies.

The Permanent Campus of Care 2026–2028

While Phase One meets the urgent needs of today, eyes are firmly set on the future. In 2026, Barrie Cares will shift its focus to Phase Two: the permanent Campus of Care.

Planned for completion in 2028, this facility will be a 25,000-square-foot centralized intake and assessment hub.

Designed to act as the front door for the entire system, it will feature 50 stabilization beds and 24/7 wrap-around supports, including medical care, mental health and addiction treatment, and housing navigation.