CONTACT Community Services, the lead agency overseeing the County of Simcoe’s supportive rapid rehousing program at 199 Campbell St. in Collingwood, are opening the doors to the first residents this month.
“We are so pleased to officially reach this milestone and work with our partners to house and support residents through this unique and impactful program,” said Basil Clarke, County of Simcoe warden, in a news release. “We want to thank all our partners who have joined together to build up housing options in the Collingwood area and we look forward to helping change lives, together.”
For Collingwood’s supportive rapid rehousing program, CONTACT will be working with the South Georgian Bay Family Health Clinic to administer the program, which is fully funded through the County of Simcoe, and will serve eligible seniors across Simcoe County.
The County of Simcoe’s $1.1 million supportive rapid rehousing program was set up with modular units at The Common Roof property at 199 Campbell St. in Collingwood this past summer, but has sat vacant while the county worked to approve an agency to run the program.
The program was made possible through a windfall of federal funding the county received last year, which had to be used by the end of December 2023. The county chose then to invest in the modular units and store them until the locations and plans were figured out.
The county’s program in Collingwood, which has already been rolled out in Barrie and Orillia serving other demographics, will serve people aged 55-plus and will act as a transitional space between an emergency shelter stay and finding housing. Clients who participate in the program will pay a user fee and be given a private room and board, with the goal of each client moving to a permanent home within 120 days.
The temporary structure has 14 individual rooms with three communal washrooms. One of the units is wheelchair accessible with its own accessible washroom. Clients are referred to the program through the county’s emergency shelter system and other social programs.
To reach CONTACT Community Services regarding the rapid rehousing program in Collingwood, email them at [email protected].
