Simcoe County, Ontario, is continuing to expand its rapid relocation program to communities across the region, with the latest program set to launch soon in Collingwood.
The Supportive Rapid Rehousing Program is designed to provide services, housing and supports to homeless individuals to help them obtain permanent housing.
The Collingwood station will be operated in partnership with the county, the Town of Collingwood and The Common Roof, and is the latest site, with one already open in Orillia, dedicated to addressing youth homelessness.
“We are pleased to have entered into a partnership with Simcoe County to work with the Town of Collingwood to make this much-needed project a reality,” said James Thomson, President and CEO of The Common Roof. “By allowing the SRRP program to operate on our property, we can ensure that specific community benefits are achieved to address homelessness and housing needs.”
A modular, prefabricated housing structure will be placed on The Common Roof property at 199/197 Campbell Street in Collingwood, which is home to six community non-profits and groups.
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The site will offer on-site services 24/7 with trained professionals to assist residents in obtaining permanent, long-term housing, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks and the program set to begin implementation in the summer.
The county said the program is expected to run at this location for five years, with the temporary building housing 10 to 15 people at a time.
Eligible individuals are identified as situationally homeless due to recent life events, rather than chronically homeless.
The program provides wrap-around, in-house support to individuals to help them find and integrate into permanent housing, rather than using it as a shelter.
“The County continues to take a proactive, forward-thinking approach to addressing homelessness and housing needs in communities across the region. The SRRP program is working well in other communities as well, supporting individuals in need and entire communities,” said Simcoe County Supervisor Basil Clarke.
It’s part of a joint effort between Simcoe County and the Town of Collingwood to expand support to the area and provide supportive housing, and is one of the key parts of the county’s ten-point homelessness prevention strategy.
A similar project in the city of Bari resulted in 18 clients (90% of all participants) moving into permanent housing during the project. Both projects used similar modular prefabricated structures.
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