Community members spoke with passion both for and against a project to convert two semi-detached houses in a residential area in Simcoe into supportive housing for those recovering from addiction.
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A crowd gathered in the Norfolk County council chamber at a public hearing committee meeting on Tuesday related to a proposed zoning amendment which would allow the operation of Addiction Supportive Housing at 13-15 Ashton Dr. Norfolk council approved the project in a closed session last December . The meeting was closed because it included discussion about county real estate assets.
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The project is a partnership between the Canadian Mental Health Association, Brant-Haldimand-Norfolk branch; Haldimand Norfolk Housing Corporation; Norfolk County; and Norfolk General Hospital/Holmes House.
The facility will house six to eight individuals who have completed the 21-day residential addiction treatment program at Holmes House in Simcoe. Participants will live there for up to a year and receive various types of counseling, including financial assistance and help to find jobs.
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“They are clean and ready for the next step in their recovery,” said Jennifer Edwards, interim director of Holmes House, adding there are strict program rules that must be followed.
But some residents in the Ashton Drive area say it’s the wrong location for the housing project. There are two schools nearby – St. Joseph’s on Potts Road and Lynndale Heights on Donly Drive.
“Oakwood (Avenue) and Ashton are full of kids,” said a woman who identified herself as Samantha. “How do we protect them? What if these people relapse? I’ve been there 30 years. We don’t want to move because of fear. I’m not saying all these people are criminals, but it could happen.”
Sarah Page, Norfolk’s general manager of health and social services, said “unfortunately, there are people battling addiction across all communities in all of our neighbourhoods.”
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“This is no different,” Page said. “We are trying to have space in our communities for all people regardless of the battles they’re facing in their daily lives.”
While there would be no support staff living at the Ashton Drive housing facility, counselors would come and go on a daily basis.
Edwards said the Addiction Supportive Housing program has been operating successfully for the past 12 years from locations scattered across Norfolk, helping participants recover from addiction, continue their education and find employment.
Funding for the program will come from the province, with support from the Canadian Mental Health Association. The Haldimand Norfolk Housing Corporation would own and manage the facility, which provides a 24/7 emergency call line for all its properties, said CAO Matt Bowen.
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John Ranger, interim executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association, said there hasn’t been any negative history associated with the Addictions Supportive Housing program and “we’re not anticipating any change to that.”
The plan is to have the Ashton Drive housing occupied by mid-August.
In a letter to the county’s planning staff, resident Rick Purchase expressed concern about children walking to and from the nearby schools. He referred to the “proposed new tenants having shown by their past lifestyles to have very questionable behavior” and said rezoning to permit the housing “will begin to destroy our quality of life.”
But Chris Morrison, who said he’s a graduate of the program, told Norfolk councilors he has been clean for more than six years.
“I totally understand the questions the community has,” said Morrison. “There is fear of the unknown. But this program saved my life. It allowed me, at age 48, to go back to school, get a social service worker diploma and no longer be connected on ODSP. If someone doesn’t make a choice to put both feet into recovery, they aren’t going to get recovery. This program looks for people ready to put both feet in.”
A follow-up report, which will include public comment, will come back to council with a recommendation from county staff about whether to approve the zoning amendment for the project.
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