Collingwood housing program to welcome its first residents

A residential development in Collingwood, Ont. (CTV News/Mike Lang)

Multiple managing partners of Collingwood’s Supportive Rapid Re-Housing Program (SRRP) announced that they will welcome their first residents in the coming weeks.

In a Friday news release on the Town’s website, it was stated that the SRRP would start welcoming residents in a ‘phased approach’.

The SSRP aims to provide services, housing and support to individuals who are in urgent need of permanent housing. CONTACT Community Services and the South Georgian Bay Community Health Centre are the agencies managing the program, stating that they will provide comprehensive, 24/7 on-site services, staffed with trained professionals.

“CONTACT Community Services is excited to collaborate with the Collingwood community in delivering this vital rehousing program for seniors in need,” said Brenda Pufek, CONTACT’s interim executive director, in the news release. “Collingwood is a friendly and inclusive community, and we eagerly anticipate working closely with the Town and the South Georgian Bay Community Health Clinic to ensure the program's success.”

The SSRP will select individuals aged 55 and older who have been identified as situationally homeless. Officials say the program will be able to house and support between 10 and 13 at a time.

The Town of Collingwood and the County of Simcoe are among the several other partners involved in delivering the service.

“We are so pleased to officially reach this milestone and work with our partners to house and support residents through this unique and impactful program,” stated Basil Clarke, the County of Simcoe's warden, in the news release. “We want to thank all our partners who have joined together to build up housing options in the Collingwood area and we look forward to helping change lives, together.”

“This is such welcome news for those seniors experiencing situational homelessness to now have a place to live not only for temporary housing but also to get assistance securing long-term housing,” added Yvonne Hamlin, Collingwood’s mayor, in the news release.

The announcement comes one year after the Town made 26 recommendations to tackle housing issues in its November 2023 Affordable Housing Master Plan (AHMP), and months after reintroducing its Rapid Additional Residential (ARU) program.