North Bay business group opposes downtown location for homeless hub

North Bay BIA opposes downtown homeless hub North Bay's business community argued Wednesday that locating a homeless services hub downtown would make a bad problem worse.

At a public District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board meeting Wednesday afternoon, North Bay's business community made it clear it opposes a homeless hub in or near downtown.

A special meeting of the board listened to the public’s concerns as the board explores and considers options. The projected cost to run such a program is $2.675 million annually.

Business owner Katie Bevan, chair of the Downtown North Bay Business Improvement Area, made their position clear to social services board members.

“The strain on businesses, especially brick and mortar and small business in our downtown, is huge right now,” Bevan told reporters after the meeting.

“We are constantly fighting the perception. Everyone is handling this differently. Everyone has different fear levels.”

The strain she was referring to includes vandalism, burglary and drug abuse occurring downtown.

A feasibility study unveiled in April recommended establishing a 24/7 homeless hub close to downtown. But Bevan said that would make a tough situation worse.

“If we concentrate services even more, then it’s just going to escalate things,” she said.

“I fear our downtown becomes more of a social service, health care area.”

But former Warming Centre staff member Evan Newman argued the hub needs to be located downtown, since it is a central location in the city and is close to other housing, mental health and addiction treatment services.

“It has to be accessible to people and so a lot of the other services people access are already there,” Newman said.

He said a homeless hub would only work if it's a short distance away from other social agencies and mental health services, has showers, has trained medical professionals on-site to treat injuries and has an overdose prevention site located in or near the hub.

Also opposes downtown

“If someone has a place to go where they can be supervised by medical professionals, they’re not using in the streets and not leaving needles behind,” he said.

Social services board chair Mark King said he is warming to the hub idea. But he has always maintained the location of the hub should not be downtown.

“We are working on a proposal right now and it does make a lot of sense when you take a look at what it could look like,” King said.

“A safe injection site? I would absolutely not support that.”

Last month, the board announced a temporary cold weather program would be established at the Northern Pines transitional housing complex on Chippewa Street for the upcoming winter season. It will be staffed by the Crisis Centre. It was moved from its previous location on Fraser Street after several problems arose.

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“Warming centres are a Band-Aid solution. A lot of the folks I talk to, they want to do something. They want to make a change,” Newman.

“If you want to address three issues, you have to go to three different places across town.”

According to board statistics revealed at the meeting, there are 318 active homeless people who have needed service this year, compared to 300 in 2021.

The board is planning further consultations with stakeholders and community members over the idea.

"We’re going to listen to everybody," King said.

"I think it’s important to do."