At Cobourg Council’s Committee of the Whole (CoW) meeting on Tuesday 21 February, there were seven delegations about the proposal to put “Sleeping Cabins” in the parking lot of the Memorial Arena on Furnace Street. Six were in favour and one presented a petition of 36 nearby residents who were against the idea. Not all of those in favour were from Cobourg – Rob Horgan was originally from Durham but said he “needed a place to go” and even the representative from the “Northumberland Sleeping Cabin Collective” (NSCC), Alastair McKeating, was from Port Hope. Several people spoke emotionally about how homelessness was bad and in fact was a crisis. They were short on what to do about the crisis other than support the NSCC 6 month trial although many wanted a “task force” to be established.
The NSCC representative, Alastair McKeating, said that they were reluctant to spend money on required studies until they believed a “licence” would be approved but he conceded that more community consultation was needed.
After considerable discussion, there were two motions passed dealing with the subject:
- Deputy Mayor Nicole Beatty moved a long motion that declared that homelessness is a crisis (later clarified: as distinct from an emergency) and that the Town does not have the resources so will be relying on the County. This declaration to be sent to the Province asking for support. Action on this motion was deferred to next week’s regular Council meeting to allow better wording to be found (Councillor Miriam Mutton will work with Nicole on this).
- Nicole also moved for a deferral of action on the application to allow sleeping cabins on Furnace Street to the April 3 CoW meeting to give NSCC and Green Wood Coalition time to “conduct a community consultation with local area residents, Cobourg Police, Cobourg Fire, Northumberland County and other partner agencies”. The motion included a request for a clear governance plan for NSCC.
After the delegations but before Council discussed delegation actions, Mayor Cleveland spoke about what the County was doing on the matter.
- The County already has a task force for this and it has been working on it for some years.
- Mayor Cleveland has been appointed to the County’s Community Safety and Well-Being Collaborative Committee. This committee was Provincially mandated to produce a Community Safety and Well-Being Plan – this was done in 2021. One of its four priorities was Homelessness and Affordability (see link below to County page – see also link to Cobourg Internet page with County information).
- On Tuesday 21st, the “Homelessness System Review” was updated and will be presented before May 2023 at the County’s Social Services Committee.
- In the 2023 County budget, $300K was approved to fast track whatever was decided in the “Homelessness System Review”. Additional recommendations will be funded from the 2024 budget.
- The emergency is already well-known, documented and being addressed.
So at the risk of over-simplifying, let me summarize:
- The County is already working on the crisis of homelessness and has a task force. Actions are planned for this year and next.
- Council wants the group proposing Sleeping Cabins to consult the public to a greater extent before approving use of the Memorial Arena Parking Lot. Maybe another location would be better? No other specific location has been mentioned.
Stay tuned.
Addendum – 27 February 2023
Northumberland County has announced that they are buying a 22 unit rental property in Colborne to provide affordable Housing. The announcement includes updates on other actions being taken to increase their stock of affordable rental units.
Download Announcement here. (re-formatted from original but unedited).
Resources
- Cabins proposed to help homelessness – 16 December 2022
- Original proposal by NSCC
- NSCC Update to Proposal as of 21 February 2023
- Information about County Council – Cobourg Internet page about County – including Members, committees etc.
- County Community Safety and Well Being – web page
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I have lived in Cobourg for 50yrs, and haven’t been so disgusted with it ever. We are becoming Vancouver. Sleeping cabins are not the answer. Tough love is. If the council is not in line, speak up and and get them out.
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Perhaps Cobourg or Northumberland County could follow BC’s lead and develop a micro village to deal with the rental housing shortage. https://bluegrassmeadows.com/
We as a community need to act on immediate solutions. The housing crisis and worker shortage are intertwined. Terrace BC – Bluegrass Meadows micro village. 33 rented cabins/tiny homes , 6 tiny home sites, common building with laundry, recycling/compost and waste program, community garden. I think this is an opportunity for the County of Northumberland and Cobourg to stop stalling and actually do something about homelessness. ?surplus County or Cobourg municipal lands?, accessible to County/ walkable for folks to pick up their cheques? Home rental options as well as attainable home ownership is out of reach for many. Frankly, this is the kind of forward thinking that Northumberland County and Cobourg should be engaging in. As much as I like the idea of the Furnace street proposition we need to think in much bigger picture thinking. Instead of accepting the lack of rental housing as an inevitability of life Cobourg Council deferring a tiny house decision until April 2023, (shame, shame) this is a change the mayor and council can make to act decisively and make progressive decisions to improve the lives of those who elected them.
Remember when if you didnt have the intellectual abilities or suffered from mental health issues and look after yourself, the govt had facilities/centres that would support you- institutional care.
Remember when if the individual couldnt follow societies laws and broke those laws wilfully, you were put in jail or prison to protect the rest of society from that individual.
Remember when you were told taking illegal drugs was bad and would lead to a life of regret and despair and possible death
Today those with intellectual disabilities/mental are living on the community left to fend for themselves
Today those who break the laws are caught only to be released back into the community to commit more crime to those abide by the law.
Today those with drug addictions are encouraged to continue using thru safe injection sites
Society is broken. Some of this can be attributed to those who think they are doing good by encouraging safe injection sites, less incarceration, and de-institutionalizing of some of are most vulnerable to the mean streets is helping fix the problem.
It isnt.
I wish that these special interest representatives were more encompassed by and through the County from which the desired “licence” would be required rather than through Cobourg’s Council.
No. No. No.
Inviting more homeless and drug addicted people to our town by supplying them with housing is the worst idea ever. Why do we want more criminals in our town? What kind of advocate for our town wishes for more crime and drug abuse? The opposite is the solution – make it more difficult for addicts to exist in Cobourg. This is our town, we live here. Council must say no no no to this proposal, for the good of the community.
So what most of you are saying is you would rather EMS do a slow walk to OD calls? And yes there is a huge housing crisis, when people with 2 good incomes can’t afford a decent place to live when a 1 bedroom is $2500-$3k/month plus utilities. Just a reminder, it’s not just addicts that are seeking shelter. Seniors are living in their cars. The cobourg that I grew up in has grown into a heartless shell of its former self. Pretty sad.
Based on the presentation at Tuesday’s Council meeting, space at Venture13 is being rented for $10/sqft including utilities and janitorial services ($10,000 per year for 1000 sqft). Plus no rent increase until 2040! That is far cheaper than the $2500-$3k/month plus utilities for a 1BR that you mentioned. Why not use Venture13 for affordable housing?
The building is full with people working there is it not? Also, since you’re all complaining about your taxes going up, who is going to pay for it? I’m sorry we don’t have Merlin to make this inconvenience to you go away. A good portion of residents in Northumberland County are a few paychecks away from being homeless. A relationship breakup, injury or illness could put people out on the streets. So I ask, please allow for a bit of compassion and critical thinking.
Cathy, Cobourg’s 2023 Operating Budget shows that Venture13 will cost Cobourg taxpayers $221,950 this year. I guess that is good news since it cost us $258,965 in 2022! In addition, V13 utilities will cost us $60K in 2023. Do you favour V13’s questionable economic development benefits or some other use for the money? Perhaps lower taxes?
Since venture 13 is being used for innovation, I think that’s a good deal. Unless of course you want Cobourg to remain stagnant, stifled and stuck. Good well paying jobs aren’t coming back to Cobourg Ken. We have the hospital, and maybe a few others, but that’s about it. Businesses look at affordable housing when putting down roots. There is none. The town and county have failed in this respect, and there are no solutions on the horizon. We have seniors living in their cars. That should send shudders down your spine, it should make you angry. Or at least have a thought, by the grace of god go I.
A list of the “innovations” that have resulted from V13 would be interesting. Most of their recent report to Council is about a couple of meetings that were/will be held there together with lots of fluff. How many local high tech jobs has V13 created over the years? My guess is none but I’d be delighted to be proven wrong. Where is the list?
Cathy,
V13, like its Port Hope predecessor the Idea Hub, has been a dismal failure. In the Town’s 2017 V13 media release, CAO Steven Peacock proudly proclaimed that Venture 13 would “level the technology playing field” for Cobourg. 73 new jobs and 16 new business start-ups were to result from V13’s operations in the first two years, In addition, the $70K “mothball” cost would be used productively.
After 5 years in operation, V13 has produced few, if any, new jobs or business start-ups.
Can you name any?
Are any located in Cobourg? Northumberland?
What products or services were produced?
Are they currently available?
Further, in the past 5 years, V13 has cost the Cobourg Taxpayers $1.1M. Adding in the 2023 costs ($269K), the 6 year total will be just short of $1.4M.
I’m sure the $1.4M could have been put to better use.
Stop the bleeding. Close V13. The cops, CFDC and EcDev should continue in their space. The freed up V13 space could be used to house other Town staff that are cramped for space: By-law and Planning come to mind.
Compassion in Cobourg??? Never! Too many selfish NIMBYs.
NIMBYs?? New word to me, Is this just more name calling?
I don’t believe there is another space as nice as Venture 13 in this Town that rents
for this little let alone not having a Escalation Clause with yearly increases in the
Rents and TMI going up at Market rates . I compared what some Landlords and Realtors / Property Management is asking for and there is very little if any Good Commercial / office space for less than $14 tp $15 .– per sq ft plus TMI averaging $7 . – per sq ft Total $22.– per sq ft Plus Utilities & Heat
Some one is again taking advantage of the Tax Payers thus the need for Higher Parking rates & Profits needed in todays Article on Parking .
I would suspect seniors living in their cars are not also riding around on bikes selling fentanyl and stealing from other unlocked vehicles in the dead of night. This is the reality and those people out number any seniors living in cars 20:1.
I guess the old part of the Golden Plough makes too much sense, for those in municipal government?
Keeping that facility open for homeless would require 15 people 24 hours a day 7 days a week to clean and maintain the facilities. I’m not willing to pay for that, are you?
I think it’s a much better solution than sleeping cabins.
I suppose from the town’s perspective, delaying a decision on this until April means some number of homeless people might just freeze to death before they have to worry about whether to give them a place to sleep out of the cold or not. Very fiscally responsible.
I love that this is getting downvoted by the very people who are typing at length about how they want the homeless to be forcibly conscripted into the military, or put into indentured servitude. Sorry seeing it stated a little more baldly was upsetting for you.
“The federal housing advocate is launching a review of homeless encampments in Canada, calling the situation a human rights crisis fuelled in part by the failure of all levels of government to provide adequate housing.”
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-federal-housing-advocate-reviewing-human-rights-crisis-of-homeless/
my two cents worth: https://burdreport.ca/blog/2023/02/24/tiny-homes-the-community-debate/
Thank you for posting Ben
I don’t know the solution to homelessness and drug abuse. We should have anti-loitering and vagrancy by-laws.
It’s funny how Canadians rally around the displaced of the world, from Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean, but we won’t lend a hand to the people
in our own county. Yes, I know, many of you will react with neo-Liberal,
proto-Republican vitriole. I don’t think cabins are a solution.
The solution to homelessness is not further criminalizing it, it’s providing homes.
The solution to drug abuse is not further criminalizing it, it’s treating addiction as a medical issue and not a criminal one.
The way to lend a hand to the people is not by-laws making the actions of those people illegal.
Enacting by-laws to discourage loitering and vagrancy are not
criminalizing homelessness and drug addiction. Citizens ought to be able to attend their local bank without being accosted and subject to
unlawful behaviour. Citizens ought to be able to attend Town Hall
without fear of anti-social behaviour. I grant you both the Town and County do a great job of “nothing to do with me, guv”, when it
comes to addressing homelessness. As to drug abuse, I don’t
know the solution. There are plenty of legal and government approved
products available to folks who want to get intoxicated . And there are
programs available to those who abuse those products.
Well what can I say Dan R. After running a halfway house for newly released inmates of all incarceration systems? Most needed much more than a sleeping cabin so they could cope in life! These people don’t even have to attend the wrap around programs – it states it is their choice. Newly released you had to keep your eye on them as they were found to be using and pushing drugs while given the break of this house of first release. Residential break ins to support themselves was a way of life to support their lifestyle along with some very dumb criminal actions – “Would you like to buy a dinner for 2 from the Toronto Star? No?? Stabbed the woman at the door when she said no. Cooking a meal? What’s that – go to the restaurant was the norm. These sleeping cabins don’t fix what is broken.
A lot of great comments …. One question no one really addressed …… if Port Hope, Brighton and Campbellford are still part of the County why are they not helping out …… where is the Warden ….. at a presentation made by Our Clerk and CAO at the county meeting in the summer I recall one of the other mayors telling our Brent Larimer “ why worry, if some are transients they will just move on ….. “ not an answer that I appreciated hearing ….. with a number of non-profit folks helping out have we been able to ascertain how much $$$ was used to help out rather than cover administration ….. Pete Fisher had a video showing the condition of an abandoned home in Cobourg used by some of the homeless folks ….. drug paraphernalia over the place , garbage all over ….. why was it not shut down by the Cobourg Police earlier on and had to be addressed by our Fire Department ….. who will ensure that these cabins will not be destroyed …. I recall the Police being told by some of the support staff to “ F#$& off” when they popped into the church used for warming ….. will the same occur in this gated community …… agree with comments indicating that this needs to be addressed not only by Cobourg but also by the County and Ontario Government …..
I would invite and welcome each member of Council to explain their position on this specific issue; Not some pie-in-the-sky, fluff statement about a homelessness crisis, but on the issue of placing small dwellings in a parking lot within an established family neighbourhood. We deserve to hear where they stand on this issue because those who elected them, are clearly against it.
Enough already! No further discussions/consultations are necessary! Council, vote NO to the placing of sleeping cabins. This will only exacerbate the problem as many of you have commented.
What caught my eye was this conclusion: “The County is already working on the crisis of homelessness and has a task force. Actions are planned for this year and next.”
Amazingly, the article itself did not mention anything actually being “done”. We have lots & lots of talk, lots & lots of meetings. If stakeholders don’t get together & decide without agendas & in a true spirit of cooperation & open mindedness that they are going to DO something about this crisis, nothing will get done. Understand! All your talking doesn’t count for anything if nothing actually gets done. You get NO credit for all this never ending useless talk.
I totally agree with Ali, get off your collective butts, more action, less talk. There is a town or city east of Cobourg, maybe Kingston who have found a solution. Check it out.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/kingston-sleeping-cabins-temporary-expensive-1.6423244
https://globalnews.ca/news/9329543/sleeping-cabins-damaged-fire-overnight-kingston-ont/
Surely there is a better way to spend money to assist those in need. Ice fishing huts are not a home nor are they a rehab facility.
And they are Tier one municipality funded to deal with the issue, Cobourg is not. The same people that say fix this issue are the same ones who say don’t raise my taxes. You can’t do one without the other. I do find it very interesting though that the two main organizations of this idea are from Port Hope. Has Port Hope already told them no? I’m sure the 70+ people are from all over the county/province so why are they trying to push the project on Cobourg and why is Cobourg council even listening to two organizations from Port Hope.
I will offer to drive the bus there.
I have to say, sleeping cabins in an area that supports single dwelling homes, community recreational space and businesses feels miss placed. I also do not appreciate individuals from outside the community of cobourg advocating for a program that could have significant impact within our community. Are these sleeping cabins to be permanent? What are the supports that will be put into place to address the needs of a homeless community (physical and mental health, substance abuse, policing, employment, etc.). What are the additional cost of these supports. Also what are the social impacts for the established community? It’s all fine a good to plop sleeping cabin in a location but without proper impact assessments and consultations – initiatives like this are doomed to fail and negatively impact existing residences. It also appears this group of concerned individuals have not been responsible and done the real heavy lifting prior to their submission – just one more nice idea without a real plan.
I couldn’t agree more !!!!
I think it is worth noting that the Northumberland Sleeping Cabin Collective does have a more robust report shared on this blog [Editor’s note: this comment edited to correct link errors]. As we work alongside folks with living experience, we have heard a great deal of feedback from them about the need for wraparound services in the sleeping cabin village. A key component to the sleeping cabin village will be the provision of wraparound services which we will provide weekly to folks who need and want these services. Folks who are unsheltered have expressed the need for a central location to receive services. They speak of the difficulties of navigating social services in Northumberland:
● struggling to get to the service locations without a car or easy access to public transportation
● not knowing or understanding what services are out there and what these services can offer them
● not having an advocate in their corner to help them navigate the system
● not having the capacity to go to appointments because they are concerned with survival needs such as what to eat and where to sleep.
The village will have a staff person that visits daily. This staff person and volunteers will be trained to provide High Fidelity Wrap Around services (Debicki, 2014). High Fidelity Wrap Around is a process by where a trained facilitator shifts the focus away from a traditional service-driven, problem-based approach of care and instead follows a strengths-based, needs-driven approach. The intent is to build on individual strengths to help people achieve positive goals and improve well-being. Wraparound is a person-centered and team-driven process. Wraparound will assist residents in achieving their personal goals in relation to services. Support will be related to harm reduction, food security, financial wellness, income support (Ontario Works), home and personal support, health and hygiene, legal support, mental health and wellness, and personal safety. We have been in touch with many social service providers in Northumberland such as: Green Wood Coalition outreach workers, Fare Share Food Bank, Moms Stop the Harm, Watton Employment Services, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Cobourg Council Delegation – December 19, 2022 10 Northumberland Sleeping Cabin Collective A better alternative to a tent Northumberland County Social Services who have expressed willingness to work with us in providing on-site services. We have plans to meet with Fourcast and PARN in the future. blog that outlines their plans in detail and answers some of the questions you ask above about cost and impact on the community. It is more than a “nice idea without a real plan” and in fact they plan on providing “wraparound services” as outlined in Part 1, section 5.
“As we work alongside folks with living experience, we have heard a great deal of feedback from them about the need for wraparound services in the sleeping cabin village. A key component to the sleeping cabin village will be the provision of wraparound services which we will provide weekly to folks who need and want these services. Folks who are unsheltered have expressed the need for a central location to receive services. They speak of the difficulties of navigating social services in Northumberland:
● struggling to get to the service locations without a car or easy access to public transportation
● not knowing or understanding what services are out there and what these services can offer them
● not having an advocate in their corner to help them navigate the system
● not having the capacity to go to appointments because they are concerned with survival needs such as what to eat and where to sleep.
The village will have a staff person that visits daily. This staff person and volunteers will be trained to provide High Fidelity Wrap Around services (Debicki, 2014). High Fidelity Wrap Around is a process by where a trained facilitator shifts the focus away from a traditional service-driven, problem-based approach of care and instead follows a strengths-based, needs-driven approach. The intent is to build on individual strengths to help people achieve positive goals and improve well-being. Wraparound is a person-centered and team-driven process. Wraparound will assist residents in achieving their personal goals in relation to services. Support will be related to harm reduction, food security, financial wellness, income support (Ontario Works), home and personal support, health and hygiene, legal support, mental health and wellness, and personal safety.”
I have nothing to do with this project, but just thought I would share in a effort to quell misinformation.
How about Catch and release to many times and they get all the services , medical and retraining they need from the Military , even if its in the Humanitarian Fields
They are actively recruiting now This was a solution back in the 60s and 70s for a time .
I don’t know how effective a solution it was, but summer militia training did have positive results. I was part of the 33rd Medium Artillery along with several dozen other Cobourg baby boomer boys. To this day, decades later, I recall the bonds of community and society that were made. I stayed in active reserves for a year, training on howitzers (105s and 155s) But it was the discipline and bonding thru hardship that stands out. I think such programs might be helpful for some youth, to provide them with self-confidence going forward.
Just to clarify, you are suggesting, and at the time of this post 20/26 raters agree, that the solution to the problems of homelessness and drug addiction is to force people into the military against their will?
Many nations require by legal coercion that youths provide two years of community service. Not rehab, but prehab.
You have explained the planned support system very well. Makes sense to me. A central hub where folk can get the help they need in order to get well. Too bad all the thumbs down folk don’t understand your explanation. Typical ignorance and entitlement.
Beacwalker-Throwing around terms like ignorance and entitlement dashes any hope of having a desperately needed candid, heartfelt exchange of ideas.
You are exacerbating an already tenuous issue.
Is there any possibility that the sleeping cabins can be placed in the vacant Cobourg campground for the winter months and moved during the camping season. It sits empty all winter and has a washroom. Thoughts?
beefer107,
Why put the sleeping cabins anywhere in Cobourg?
Transition House has empty rooms.
Will the sleeping cabins have “rules” similar to TH?
If so, the ones who can’t go to TH will also not be allowed in the SCs.
So what would be different?
Looking at the County website one can see that the committee setup to handle this issue was setup on Dec 8th 2020 – 2 years ago. They had 2 mtgs in 2020, 8 mtgs 2021, 4 mtgs in 2022, the last one being July.
I know government moves slowly but what have these people been doing? Obviously not much if we can’t see much progress in two years. Granted a warming room has been set up each winter, but when can we expect to see an interim report and a financial report?
The County has received funding, the Cobourg Police has received funding the gross amount at least $500K.
Where are the tangible results?
Hey I think we agree on something SLOWLY
Look busy , and Pay your self first Time is Money
there question is where is it ? Re purposed ?
By the time anything happens it will be 3 to 5 yrs
many winters will have passed and the Homeless will be back at the well
advertised Cobourg Beach &, WaterFront this year
Oh
and Shopping downtown as usual .
Ben, wasn’t our former Mayor Cobourg’s representative on that committee? Two years, 14 meetings, many thousands of tax dollars wasted, no tangible results.
County minutes show Bill Cane as the committee member Ken
Ben, Bill Cane was the Mayor of Hamilton Township. Cobourg had no representation? Why would the largest municipality in Northumberland and the one with the most drug/homeless issues have no input into the solution?
very good question Ken
As a society it is criminal to support people who are not even attempting to be civil. Social decency should be a requirement, a non negotiable standard needs to be maintained. I feel that those who are hard on their luck deserve more than just sleeping cabins, but those who cannot live in a way that respects or even considers the freedom of others do not need nor deserve the prime locations that our town is adamant on freeing up.
So what do you advocate for those who don’t fit your rules of “decency”?
Are you prepared to let them die in the doorways of the Banks as you step over them because they are not “civil”? Sad commentary!
If they are dying in Bank doorways it is because of a drug overdose and if you think this won’t happen in a sleep cabin you are mistaken. They destroyed the bus shelter washroom, they went inside City Hall washroom, took drugs and then overdosed in front of the building. Addiction is a terrible thing but they can be helped if the resources are in place to do so and of course if they want to get clean. Erecting cabins in a downtown area where they will have access to drug dealers will not be a good thing for anybody.
You can’t even use the banks after hours anymore due to this. Most banks have locked their doors so the ATM’s are not accessible at night or in the early morning. Police should be out on patrol moving folks out of the ATM’s if they are not using them so that others that need to use them can..
I guess the Police and Courts have to toughen up
Loitering was also a Crime back in the Day
Any criminal activity should be recorded and when Multiple
occurrences appear on their record – then Rehab , Community service ,
and a choice of move on or a stint on the old Jail farm .
What else at least its a start . But the Police don’t seem to be doing any
I supposed Record keeping They call it Catch and release .
May be release them else where .?
I would settle for the most basic form of decency, not engaging in criminal activity. The freedom of woman and children who no longer feel comfortable walking around down town is more important than your desire to place serial offenders in locations where families now feel the need to move from. Like I said, people who are down on their luck (and from this area) should be helped to find suitable housing and feel safe. There are rules in place at these facilities for a reason, rather than addressing the issue you seem to be advocating we relocate it.
Your points are some of the things that we must not lose sight of. Children that can safety use the dressing room and bathroom at the Frink?. No parent can let their kid down there alone and this is right Downtown. Ill advocate for a child or senior in this Town before a drug addict or thief.
Pickle- the 2 categories you created are not distinct from each other- addictions and poor mental health cause people to not behave in ways you labelled as “civil”.
Secondly, I believe it’s imperative for one level of government to take the lead on this, with representation from Cobourg, Port Hope & all areas in Northumberland. It would seem the county is in the best position to do this, having received provincial government funding – but not in its present state of inertia. Beef up the leadership qualities of those on the committee & gear up the frequency of meetings relevent to a “crisis” situation. Fourteen meeting in 3 years? How ridiculous! In the end, it’s primarily a problem that needs to be dealt with by mental health and addiction experts- not municipal politicians.
I live north of the downtown area. I see lots of young men and a few women with backpacks and no gloves walking the cold wintery streets north of King Street. Some on bicycles in a snow storm no doubt headed to No Frills. Those who exhibited craziness a year ago in the summer slandering car drivers and verbally threatening pedestrians on King Street seem to have vanished. I am wondering why we do not have an accounting of our homeless regarding how many can be helped to rebuild their life. How many would take on a job with our support and how many are ok surviving on living day to day with no job. And how many are beyond help. Does the County not have anyone that can measure and report to taxpayers on the extent of rehabilitation that is possible? Just throwing money at this issue – like providing these sleeping cabins – is not dealing with helping the homeless who are interested in remaking themselves, with our support.
You hit the nail on the head Old Sailor – Throwing money at the issue is not the answer. And duplication of effort is not the answer. I agree with the Mayor on this one. But I do think the Township should be held accountable to regular, tangible progress being made toward the homeless problem from the County. The downloading the Province has done on Municipalities is atrocious – especially small Towns like ours. Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but the last I read, 50% of Cobourg’s population is over 55 years old and the average household income is $65k. We can’t afford all this downloading. We can’t afford to begin to solve the homeless problem. Heck, our neighbour is moving because he said it’s nuts paying these taxes and receiving barely any service. (Guess he doen’t play Pickleball).
Are you suggesting someone survey addicts and mentally ill individuals to ascertain their life goals when the search to find food & shelter for the next few hours is a struggle. And what would you suggest the town does for humans “beyond help”? I agree that providing sleeping cabins will not alleviate Cobourg’s homeless crisis- and might well worsen it.
The County of Northumberland has stated on Todays Northumberland that in January and February there was an average of 6 rooms vacant at Transition House and the motel rooms available. How is there a housing crisis? In my opinion there is a drug use crisis and until users want help and are willing to follow the rules at the provided spaces there’s not much to be done.
To the points of what You have so well articulated, the County’s numbers are underestimated given that many- both visible and invisible- have not been included in the count. Many living in vacant premises within the downtown area such as the example of the one highlighted on todaysnorthumberland.ca would not be interested in or would be unable to live within the bounds of Transition House, the associated Motels or in the Sleeping Cabins.. As a downtown resident, I concur that the author’s numbers in that article are actually more accurate.
People on fixed income, the old age pensioner, people of moderate income evicted due to renoviction should be provided with something better than a sleeping cabin. People with addictions whether they be drugs or alcohol before being considered should be actively enrolled in a cessation program with abstinence period begun, as for some of the homeless refusing current services as they do not wish to comply with the rules the Town/County would be asking for trouble to house these. People with mental illness issues require specialized care and also are not good candidates. All in all though I think this is a very poor idea. Toronto has borne out the reality with the hotel shelters, trash, drug use and neighbourhood crime – the stories are abundant and hardly appropriate to situate such dwellings in a residential neighbourhood. The housing crisis is not for the most part the real issue here with the exception of the first category as above. It should be ensured they are not migrant homeless.
Dave–those are useful comments that make sense. From my observation, municipalities that attempt to be the sole ‘agency’ for these temporary projects, end up both disappointed and begging for a financial bailout a few months into the effort. What expertise does our Town have in addressing any of the needs you describe?…and…whats the best thing that can happen if we go forward?….ask K-W; Tillsonburg; Belleville etc……
On the other hand–in small home community projects where there is a lead Agent/Foundation that is NOT the Municipality;, with a specific mission;, then, other levels of government feel comfortable financially assisting in the project; so too do many private companies that see value in showing community support.
Our Town then could contribute in a minor way by approving of such a project; not managing, building and financing it.
Look at this example…see link below…
(ie) https://homesforheroesfoundation.ca/
Check out delancey street in new York. 500 acres. Place for men and women with no work skills, education, ex cons and homeless people that have hit rock bottom. They stay for 2 to 4 years. Earn a GED. They are trained in accounting, automobile repair, learn social. Skills, and are taught to live a drug free life full of purpose and integrity. All privately funded. It’s not a free ride. They have to work and take part in all the programs offered and obey the rules or out they go. They have turned out so many wonderful people with wonderful jobs and a future.
Maybe the county should be looking at leave one of the wings of the GPL standing to house the homeless , when the new GPL opens
Fantastic Idea Its been suggested before and Ignored by the County
The other end could be a new or 2 nd Location for the Cobourg or maybe the New
County wide Police department Location , layout , and parking is ideal .
This was addressed at one of the county meetings. They state that golden plough isn’t safe. However residents are still living there. So, is the county just unwilling to put the effort in, trying to offload to other services/agencies? I agree that just throwing money at the issue isn’t the answer. However, for people facing eviction through renoviction, or no fault of their own like fire etc, supports must be put in place.
People must want the help to get well. Texas has a similar village like New York. It is staffed 24/7. People start out with a small cabin and a bed. It is with the intent one would go to detox, and once clean, one would have access to life skills, schooling, and employment. When a “goal” is met, one would graduate to a better cabin. When all goals are met, finding a job and housing, of course with supports in place.
The two storey part of the GPL built in 1972 is perfectly safe. The part built in 1987 needs to be torn down.
does that part have kitchen and bathroom facilities? It would be a shame to tear it down if it could be repurposed.
Yes. Kitchens and bathrooms in both.
Build these cabins and wait and see how many from out of Town appear. This will do nothing in the long run. I believe it will make the situation even worse. Good intentions like the warming room with showers, when it opened at the police station. We had people bused here and dropped off when that opened, prior to Covid. If I lived near the arena I would be consulting a lawyer.
From the movie Field of Dreams:
Build it and they will come.
Build it, group text everyone and they will come.
Informed,
If additional facilities are provided in Cobourg, the word will get out so fast. And then the cycle starts: first 12 cabins, then 24, then 36……
Can you explain why these cabins are needed when Transition House indicates that on any given night, they have empty rooms available?
The solution, as others have pointed out, is proper, readily available mental health, medical and addiction services.
Fix the problems, not the symptoms
Well said
“Can you explain why these cabins are needed when Transition House indicates that on any given night, they have empty rooms available?”
Bryan the answer is simple – the people who have been refused entry by TH are creating the vacancies. Those people still need a place to stay, but where?
Why were they refused?
They offended the regulations of TH
Ben, do you mean regulations like sobriety, no drugs, no fighting…?
I don’t know what the infractions or rules are but I do know that many have told Council that people are not allowed into TH even though TH has vacancies, so the question for us where do we put those folks?
Ben, are you suggesting that selling drugs, destroying property and other illegal activities should be condoned?
This obvious intent to be silly does not need an answer Ken
Kind of like the court system?
…in by curfew, no stealing, no verbal or threats of violence towards staff etc. Is there no concern for staff?