Residents will soon be stepping through the doors of a new modular housing site and settling into homes they can begin to call their own. Following months of construction, the 40-unit facility located at 113 Tiffin Street will begin welcoming people into the building next week as part of a planned rollout. City officials say the Bridge Housing Project is laid out to help provide short-term stable and safe homes for those experiencing homelessness as they receive support through the HART Hub initiative. The pilot project places participants on a pathway to ultimately secure permanent housing. “This is a very unique program serving a very specific purpose” says Kate Hunter, manager of homelessness services at the County of Simcoe. “It focuses on people with complex barriers and unique needs who are not able to access other programs within the homelessness system. These are individuals with high levels of need and significant challenges.” The Elizabeth Fry Society Simcoe Muskoka, Busby Centre, and Empower Simcoe will all be on-site to support individuals for up to 90-days, creating housing plans, addressing concerns, making referrals and providing links to appropriate resources. Each resident will have their own private room, with shared washrooms and common spaces inside the modular building. The former paramedic station next door is undergoing renovations to transform into a support hub, with a commercial kitchen, dining area and communal spaces being added. “This project to date is without question our most collaborative effort” says Andrew Scarvarelli, Simcoe County’s director of Housing and Homelessness. “It includes investment from the federal government, along with contributions from non-profit and private sector partners.” The first-of-its-kind site is part of a broader push to address housing challenges in the region as the city remains in a State of Emergency over its homelessness crisis.
