What will the homeless do? As temperature drops during COVID-19 pandemic, Barrie shelters prepare for influx

The weather is turning and many of Barrie’s homeless residents will soon be seeking shelter from the cold, if they haven’t already.

While many of the organizations that assist Barrie’s most vulnerable people are well-established, they’ve never had to adapt their services to the unique circumstances of a deadly pandemic over an entire winter season. So what challenges are they facing?

“We are absolutely seeing an increase in demand at our Barrie shelters as a result of COVID-19,” said Jennifer van Gennip, Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness Barrie chapter chair. “This can be attributed to increased releases from corrections and health-care facilities, and an increase of ‘visible homelessness’ from ‘hidden homelessness’ — folks who were couch surfing or staying with friends or family before the pandemic hit, but were forced out due to distancing requirements and concerns.”

She said several local shelters are already reaching their capacity limits. About 50-60 people who sleep outside are being supported by outreach teams right now.

Some local shelters, like Youth Haven, have moved emergency programs into local motels or hotels in an effort to adapt to COVID-19 distancing restrictions.

The County of Simcoe has responded to the needs of many of these organizations by providing funding to support this adapted shelter model.

“Winter is going to be a challenging time for all of us,” Youth Haven executive director Lucy Gowers said. “Are we prepared? I’d like to think that we are. But we’re learning now to expect the unexpected. We’re going to do whatever we have to do in order to keep youth from having to sleep in the cold in the dead of winter. I don’t think we’re going to turn anyone away.”

Prior to COVID-19, Youth Haven had 25 beds available; that number dropped slightly due to pandemic restrictions, though the organization has focused on moving youths quickly into more permanent housing solutions, which is steadily freeing up shelter capacity.

Salvation Army Bayside Mission is putting extra effort into finding permanent housing for its men’s shelter clients, as well, and collaborating with local governments to open more warming centres.

“We’re really working as a community to find solutions,” executive director Capt. Stephanie Watkinson said. “The cold-weather months are usually our higher months; we’re trying to prepare.”

The shelter has gone from 46 on-site beds to 31 since the start of the pandemic.

Bayside serves roughly 400 meals per day, Watkinson said, and staff are looking at ways to better insulate take-away containers to keep that food warm.

There have been no COVID-19 cases in the county linked to the shelter system, van Gennip said.

However, shelters are often understaffed and limited in the number of volunteers they can accept. Meanwhile, employees are “exhausted” and “traumatized” by elements of their jobs these days, she said.

“Many of the people coming to the shelter have much higher medical, addictions and mental-health needs than shelter staff are trained and equipped to address,” van Gennip said. “They are being asked to carry too much of the weight of the COVID-19 impact on our city’s homeless community; it is not sustainable.”

So how can you help?

Amid uncertainty around just how successful the annual kettle drive can be this year, the Salvation Army is appealing for monetary contributions. Youth Haven, the Barrie area’s only emergency shelter for youths experiencing homelessness, wants bus passes, grocery-store gift cards and clothing donations for its clients.

“We’re probably spending at least ($50,000) a month just on food,” Watkinson said. “It doesn’t take long to use up funds. The best way to help is the financial support so we can continue to provide food and other necessities.”

Long term, the key to solving the city’s homeless issue lies in building affordable housing.

“Our shelters are warehousing a number of people who should just be housed,” van Gennip said. “It’s an easy trap to look at the full shelters and say, ‘We need more shelter beds.’ In my opinion, Barrie doesn’t need a 130-bed shelter this winter; we need a 10 (to) 20 bed shelter and 120 (to) 130 new units of deeply affordable housing with supports — small units that rent for $390 (per) month, because that is how much a single person on Ontario Works receives each month as a shelter allowance.” 

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STORY BEHIND THE STORY: This will be the first full winter in which the Barrie area deals with the COVID-19 pandemic. Simcoe.com wanted to see how local shelters and organizations that assist the homeless are preparing for the unique challenges that lie ahead.