Grey County is launching a short-term shelter service for people who are experiencing homelessness that is taking over the emergency service in Grey County from the YMCA.
The YMCA will continue to coordinate emergency shelter in Bruce County.
Grey County Housing Director Anne-Marie Shaw says, “This launch completes our goal of bringing short-term shelter services into our in-house operations at the County,” adding, “Having this program operate through our Housing Department will help us streamline support and improve access to other programs for our clients.”
The County says this program helps those experiencing homelessness find alternative housing options and offers short-term shelter with supports. Through the program, individuals and families also meet with support staff to identify their needs and work on a plan for achieving stable housing.
The county says new partnerships with local motel operators are helping to ensure there is a supply of short-term shelter rooms available on an ongoing basis. Locations are currently available in Owen Sound and Hanover.
Information and help through the program can be accessed 24 hours a day by contacting 2-1-1 where a the County says team has been specifically trained in locating emergency housing supports in this region.
During business hours, services can be accessed through Grey County Administration in Owen Sound and the Grey County Social Services Satellite Office in Hanover.
Grey County says, if you or someone you know is unsheltered or at risk of homelessness,
24 hours a day, 7 days a week: call 2-1-1 for help accessing the program.
Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding holidays the following services can be reached:
Call Grey County Housing directly at 519-376-5744
Text Grey County’s Short-Term Shelter Program at 226-407-4996
Email the Short-Term Shelter Program at stsp@grey.ca
Visit the Grey County Administration Building (595 9th Avenue East, Owen Sound) or Grey County Social Services Satellite Office (286 10th Street, Hanover)
Speak with a support worker in the community and ask for help.
For more information on the Short-Term-Shelter Program, visit grey.ca/stsp.
Grey County Housing Programs Manager Josh Gibson explains, “Short-term really varies by the individual and what portion of the recovery they’re at.” He says, “The less time in a motel shelter the better, really for a person’s mental health as long as we can connect them to an alternative that’s safe.”
He says, “On average we shelter around 10 to 16 individuals or families per night,” noting numbers tend to increase in the winter, and have also increased over the past few years due to the pandemic, inflation and housing shortages.
He says the program operates on a diversion model where the County would help a person find friends or family to stay with, or provide them with additional support in order to pay for their stay at a motel. “If they do enter into a motel,” says Gibson, “We try and connect them with services locally related to food, mental health and addictions and the provide them the information around rentals. ” He adds, “Because we’re streamlining the services by bringing it within Grey County, we have financial assistance programs for last month’s rent and possibly rent supplements as well.”
He says the County is working towards a coordinated access system of housing by bringing services and supports on board with a centralized list, adding, because the County offers financial programs like rent supplements, its makes sense for them to have all those services under one roof.
Outside of this program, Grey County also recently awarded a $3.7 million contract to Owen Sound based JP Commercial Contractors for a transitional supportive housing project on 14th Street in Owen Sound. It will include 12 supportive housing units. The property is intended to provide safe and stable housing and on-site supports to individuals who are on the ‘Grey County By Name List’ who are experiencing homelessness. The County says its list currently has 120 individuals requiring housing and supports. That project has an expected completion date of March 2023.
Gibson says all of these things are building blocks that will help the County get to a successful ‘housing first’ model.
‘Housing first,’ explains Gibson is the recognition that it’s hard to address other things in one’s life without housing. He says once a person has housing and appropriate supports, they can pursue recovery, employment and other things including addressing medical needs.