Give local councils final say on Lambton shelter sites: county committee

Next time Lambton County seeks a homeless shelter site, the local council should be consulted and have the final word, county councilors say.

Article content

Article content

Recommended Videos

Article content

Meeting in committee of the whole, they endorsed those steps following a request for consultation from Sarnia council. The matter goes to county council Feb. 5.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said city council wasn’t consulted before an Out of the Cold shelter opened in March 2023 in the former Laurel Lea-St. Matthew’s Church on Exmouth Street.

It’s funded by the county, along with the Good Shepherd’s Lodge on Confederation Street in Sarnia.

The Exmouth Street site also holds a housing resource center where the county and other local agencies connect individuals to more permanent housing and provide services, such as help getting documents needed for housing.

In the fall, several residents living near the former church said the shelter brought drug use, property damage and other problems to the once quiet neighborhood.

Article content

Sarnia council also wasn’t consulted when a temporary shelter opened in the former Central United Church building a few years ago, Bradley added.

“We are asking that we be consulted,” including disclosure of potential locations, so “we can give our feedback,” Bradley said.

Warden Kevin Marriott said there were discussions between county and city staff.

“There’s discussions. but there’s not disclosure,” Bradley said.

Consultation with the local council should apply to any Lambton municipality where a shelter site is being considered, he said. “I think it’s just a common courtesy.”

Local councilors can speak about the “positive and negative things about a possible site, not that there’s any universal joy when we do pick a site,” Bradley said.

Article content

“It about talking before (a location is chosen) so we can give the county a heads-up” about potential issues, he said.

At the request of Sarnia Coun. Bill Dennis, the committee also is calling for local councils to approve sites for future shelters in their community.

Lambton County provides social services for its 11 member municipalities.

Having local council approval for sites would show “due diligence has been done, and they agree with the selection,” said Warwick Township Mayor Todd Case.

“We realize we need a certain amount of sites,” he said. “Obviously, we have to be able to do the business that is part of our mandate as the county.”

County chief administrator Stéphane Thiffeault said Wednesday there are currently no additional sites for shelters “under active consideration” by the county.

Article content

Initially a seasonal shelter intended to be open during winter, the Exmouth Street site remained open through 2024 to provide spaces in response to a homeless camp in Sarnia’s Rainbow Park.

The Exmouth Street site is being considered for an affordable housing project by the Inn of the Good Shepherd. And county officials have said they were seeking a permanent site for the housing resource center.

Use of emergency housing in Sarnia has increased as temperatures have fallen, said Ian Hanney, county homelessness prevention manager.

“In recent months, we’ve seen capacity eclipse 90 per cent,” he said.

[email protected]
@ObserverPaulM

Article content