Relocation review of Living Space emergency shelter in Timmins nearing completion

A relocation review underway on the Living Space emergency shelter in Timmins will be completed by the end February.

The low-barrier emergency shelter moved to its current location on Spruce Street in the city in 2020. Since then, residents and businesses have voiced frustrations and complaints about a rise in crime, drug use, and homelessness in the areas surrounding the shelter.

In the fall of 2023, Timmins City Council asked the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board (CDSSAB) to explore options about possibly relocating Living Space. CDSAAB retained consulting firm Third Party Public to conduct a relocation review of the shelter, which has been underway since September 2023.

"We had over 35 interviews with over 70 different people, working with voices of Timmins who had expressed concerns about the location of the shelter," said Nicole Swerhun, Managing Principal at Third Party Public.

The first part of the review asked residents, social and government organizations, stakeholders, and those with lived experiences to provide feedback on the emergency shelter through surveys and working groups. It also asked about the possible advantages and disadvantages of keeping the shelter at its current Spruce Street location, or moving it elsewhere.

Swerhun says many people have advocated for moving the shelter out of Timmins, but doing so comes with risks such as travel concerns and increased harm.

"The risks that people have flagged about moving it out of town is that people don't go, and it will be more people living and sleeping rough downtown," said Swerhun.

"That will put more demands on emergency services and create even bigger challenges."

Based on the community's feedback, five draft outcomes have been created. Those outcomes were presented to the public for feedback in a community open house on February 6, as part of the second stage of the review.

The outcomes include acknowledging there is a problem in Timmins and community willingness to find a solution.

"What we've done now is taken everything we've heard from September through to the end of the year in December, and now we're really focusing on sharing and refining the draft outcomes," explained Swerhun. 

"Just to let people know what the participants to date have said and getting people's feedback on it. If we need to refine it, if we need to add anything, if we've missed anything in terms of reflecting back what people have said, we're super keen to hear it."

Swerhun said opportunities for community feedback will close on February 20.

The results and information will then be given to the Relocation Review Steering Committee, which will look at how the outcomes fit within the context of existing policies and resources. From there, they will create an action plan for CDSAAB. 

The action plan and the Relocation Review Report will be presented to Timmins City Council for implementation in April.