HART Central Facility Coming to Blake St. Property “pure speculation”

A flier making the rounds in a neighborhood in Barrie’s north end is raising concerns about the possibility of Simcoe County purchasing property on Blake Street as a potential site for a homeless recovery treatment center and addiction (HART).

The flyer suggests there is a “pending site selection” at 429 and 445 Blake St., near Penetanguishene Road, to be used for these facilities, which could also include the possible relocation of Rose’s temporary shelter County Street.

The 2.8-acre property, which still had a large “for sale” sign out front as of Wednesday afternoon, is the former home of the Coates Fine Cars dealership and had been listed for $6.75 million. However, the property’s online listing is no longer available.

The purpose of HART centres, according to the provincial government, is to “address the complex service needs of the community, including homelessness, substance use and mental health concerns.”

In addition to providing services to support treatment and recovery for people with mental health, addiction, primary care, employment and social services needs, HART centers will also provide a direct route towards supportive housing.

The neighborhood brochure says there has been a “troubling absence of oversight” around the plan.

“This place is not even suitable for the very clientele the facility is intended to serve,” he says. “Although it’s close to the (Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre) hospital, it’s underserved (and) on the edge of Barrie, away from key resources.”

Coun. Clare Riepma, who represents Ward 1 on Barrie city council, says while she didn’t personally get any of the flyers delivered to her door, one of her constituents did drop off a copy.

Right now, however, he said nothing has been confirmed about when, or where, those facilities might be located.

“We have a homelessness and drug problem in the city of Barrie,” Riepma said, noting the province is donating money for several potential HART centres. “Simcoe County is applying for that money. We have no idea if Simcoe County will be successful … and so far, the county has not said anything about where, or if, it would be located one of them

“Anything to do with speculating about where these might be is just that: speculation,” he added.

Riepma said the flyer has definitely raised some concerns from residents in his east side neighborhood, but he’s asking them not to get too carried away.

“He is a person who has come to some conclusion,” he said. “I’ve responded to quite a few of those people who have sent me their concerns and told them … that the county will apply for funding from the province, (which) is not guaranteed. The county has not committed to where it will be located in. It could be in Bradford… but hopefully we’ll get it in Barrie, because we probably have more of a problem than anyone else.

“This is something the county is doing and we need to hear from the county what they are planning,” added the councilor. “Certainly, we haven’t heard anything from the county and this is all pure speculation.”

Mina Fayez-Bahgat, the county’s general manager of social and community services, said she is working to confirm new location details related to the modular buildings currently on the Rose Street property. He said they will provide more information to the public about temporary modular buildings and their temporary use in the coming weeks as part of the county’s upcoming winter response and affordable supportive housing strategy.

Regarding the introduction of the HART center, Fayez-Bahgat said the new provincial program is in line with the county’s strategy to address homelessness in the region.

“Since the launch of our 10-point homelessness prevention strategy in July 2023, the county has made significant investments and improvements in social and community service programs in Barrie and across the region,” he said in an email to BarrieToday.

“Through the county’s 10-point homelessness prevention strategy, two of the pillars we’ve created include improving safety and well-being and creating easier ways to access services for those experiencing homelessness. homelessness,” added Fayez-Bahgat.

The county has yet to apply and is in the process of developing an application, Fayez-Bahgat noted, adding that they expect to submit the application on Friday.

“The location or locations for this project are not yet fully determined,” he said.

Riepma said no matter where any of the facilities end up being located, he anticipates there will be concerns.

“They have to be positioned correctly and a lot depends on how it works,” he said. “Don’t forget that this HART center is a rehabilitation facility with transitional housing, so there’s a lot of support and I think it all depends on how it’s run.

“I would expect it to work very professionally,” added Riepma. “I think the concern is that this ends up being a shelter. We tend not to have good experiences with shelters downtown, (but) this is far from it. From a shelter I think the whole experience would be very different.

While such facilities may be necessary in a community, the Ward 1 alderman said he can “respect” that some people may not want to see them located in their neighborhood.

“I think it all has to do with where it’s at. If it’s well-located and functioning properly, I think the community would be receptive to it. Obviously, if it’s not, there’s going to be a lot of discussion,” Riepma said.

Depending on where either facility ends up, there could be a need for rezoning, Riepma added, which would include community input and could take more than a year to complete.

“I encourage people not to jump to conclusions yet. We deal with the facts and the fact is the county is the one on top of this, not the city,” he said. “The other fact is that they are asking for the money, but it hasn’t come in. I haven’t got the money, then nothing will happen.”

A public neighborhood meeting was scheduled for Oct. 15, but was canceled because the applicant was no longer moving forward with the 445 Blake St. proposal, according to the city’s website.

The province has said it will invest $378 million over the next three years to support the creation of 19 HART centres, 10 of which are being implemented through a call for proposals now.

The ministry will fund these 10 new centers through a budget of $6.3 million per year per center from 2025-26 to 2027-28, with $1.8 million per center to support start-up costs and timely implementation.