A controversial proposal to expand a homeless shelter in downtown Chatham will go before council on Monday night after all.
The report was pulled from the agenda on Friday and the council vote on the matter was postponed to a future meeting, but the report was back on the agenda on Saturday.
All that activity comes after two rival petitions were started for and against the expansion of Hope Haven on Wellington Street West. One of the petitions was started by Andrew Thiel, a business owner on King Street, and it states downtown Chatham is not the place to have a homeless/emergency shelter.
The second petition, started by Kelly-Lyn Girard, is collecting support in favour of the expansion.
He said when Hope Haven was in full operation in 2019, merchants were physically assaulted, properties were damaged, cars were vandalized, panhandling was out of control, and the overall feeling was that downtown Chatham was not safe.
"Millions of dollars of future investment for downtown Chatham could be lost if this proposal is approved. The downtown core is where many festivals and gatherings take place, and it is simply not a good fit having a segment of the population struggling with addiction and mental health issues around large groups of people," said Thiel. "We realize that the homeless, or those that require emergency housing are human beings, in many cases they are individuals that are wrestling with addiction or mental health issues. These are people that are in a vulnerable spot and need help, and as we have seen in the past, the downtown area of Chatham is not the area that an emergency shelter should be located."
He said downtown merchants, residents, tenants, landlords and employees were given less than a week's notice about the expansion plan.
Thiel and the nearly 200 others who have signed the petition want councillors to vote against the proposed partnership between the municipality and Hope Haven.
Another business owner and resident in downtown Chatham, Shawn Dauphin, said homeless people are sleeping in the alleys and there's open intravenous drug use in the area.
Sarah Molnar wants downtown to be a safe welcoming environment for people to be able to come shop, dine, live and work.
"We have dealt first hand with homeless rummaging through our garages, throwing garbage everywhere, shooting up and leaving needles all over, screaming and intimidating staff and patrons and the list goes on. Businesses are just getting back on their feet and ready to reopen their doors and the last thing they need is people too afraid to come downtown and shop, bring their kids to a dance class or dine with friends. Bringing more homeless downtown will just increase the vandalism, fear and cost to businesses," she said.
The shelter expansion plan came about because the municipal emergency housing program must move from the Travelodge Hotel at Richmond Street and Bloomfield Road because provincial funding has run out and the hotel has future plans for its site.
The proposal includes the shelter operating overnight from 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. and through the day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning in May and running for at least three years.
The proposed partnership with Hope Haven would shelter 25-30 individuals per night at an annual cost of approximately $600,000 per year. Hope Haven would not charge the municipality for rent and would be responsible for meals, basic needs, building maintenance, and utility bills.
The report states that building a new shelter is "out of the question" because there's no funding and creating a homeless encampment is not recommended by the administration because of the impacts of being forced to sleep outside and the lack of acceptance by the community for them in the past.
The municipality said at this time there is no community service provider that has delivered overnight sheltering, owns a suitable building, or has experience in this type of work. Also, there are no suitable municipal buildings available to be used as a new shelter either because they would have to be rezoned and renovated, according to the municipality.
Polly Smith, Director of Employment and Social Services, said families in need of emergency housing would be prioritized for motel rooms should they be available. Social services are asking local motel operators to create a roster of rooms offering comparable amenities that will be reserved for emergency sheltering.
"There is no going back to the previous model of just using motel beds as the need for emergency housing continues to outpace the beds available," wrote Smith in the report. "It is expected that municipalities across the province will take three to four years to recover from the homelessness crisis that has occurred across the country through the COVID-19 pandemic."
Smith said area motels previously used for emergency housing are now regularly full with lower-income individuals and families that cannot afford the growing cost of rent in Chatham-Kent.
The Travelodge sets aside 45 beds to be used by those without a home each night.
Smith said there were 83 homeless individuals identified in December of 2019 but that number went up to 204 two years later.
Loree Bailey, General Manager of Hope Haven, is asking taxpayers to support the expansion, saying the partnership provides an opportunity for her clients "like never before."
"We are finding ourselves in a very exciting position now as we, together with the municipality, are proposing to offer both an emergency shelter and a day program at the Haven. We are well-positioned to do this as we have a building in the downtown that allows our clients to easily access services to help them get out of homelessness. Our experience with running an overnight shelter as well as a day program, as well as the expertise that the municipality has gained running their emergency shelter [at the Bradley Centre], will make us a force against homelessness. This partnership will allow us to help the maximum number of people," Bailey said.
The petition supporting the expansion at Hope Haven, which had more than 300 signatures as of Monday morning, claims "the businesses of the downtown core area are bullying the homeless to keep them out of the downtown area" and that downtown Chatham "is where the homeless need to be to be in close proximity to the food bank, churches, bus depot, legal clinic and, hospital."
The municipality is also looking at providing more affordable and supportive housing for a more permanent solution.
The petition against the expansion to Hope Haven that was started by Andrew Thiel can be found here. The other petition, in favour of the expansion, can be found here.
The full report that is going to CK council can be found by clicking here.
