A new 40-unit bridge housing project aimed at reducing unsheltered homelessness has launched on Tiffin Street in Barrie.
The Bridge to Stability project is a partnership between the County of Simcoe and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH). It is designed to support people experiencing unsheltered homelessness who face complex and overlapping barriers to permanent housing.
Several dignitaries attended the opening, including Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall, CAEH president and CEO Tim Richter, Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke, Oro-Medonte Mayor Randy Greenlaw, MP Jennifer McKelvie, and Barrie councillors Clare Riepma and Nigussie Nigussie.
The initiative is funded with nearly $1.7 million over the next year through the CAEH-led Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund, a $45-million federal program.
Nuttall said the initiative highlights the impact of collaboration among governments and community partners.
“This program reflects what can be achieved when all levels of government and community partners align around solutions that deliver real results,” he said.
Richter echoed Nuttall’s remarks, saying both the county and the city have been working together to address homelessness.
“Communities across Canada are facing surging homelessness, especially unsheltered homelessness,” he said.
“Simcoe County and the City of Barrie have been tackling this issue head on, which makes this the perfect place to test a promising new rapid response to unsheltered homelessness that we hope to see scaled across the country.”
Bridge housing is a short-term, service-intensive model that provides a safe place for people to access health, mental health and addictions supports, while receiving individualized help in transitioning into permanent housing.
“We are proud to launch the Bridge to Stability program that will help ensure that no one seeking a safe, warm place to stay is left out in the cold,” Clarke said.
“This is one of our many innovative investments in Barrie and throughout Simcoe County aimed at addressing homelessness and housing shortages. We thank the Government of Canada and our partners at the CAEH for working with us to build up our communities.”
McKelvie, who is the parliamentary secretary to the minister of housing and infrastructure, said the project will play a key role in reducing homelessness in the region.
“The Bridge to Stability project will have a significant impact on reducing unsheltered homelessness in Simcoe County and represents an important step forward in ensuring people can access the housing and supports they need,” she said.
Unsheltered homelessness has risen by 300 per cent nationally over the past six years, according to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, with Simcoe County also seeing more people living in encampments and other makeshift shelters.
CAEH is supporting the county with system adjustments, data collection and outcome tracking.
