EDITOR'S NOTE: A version of this article originally appeared on SooToday on Sept. 27. It is being republished here for readers who may have missed it.
After almost two years of planning and construction, a new men’s shelter facility, transitional beds and Community Resource Centre is now open in the former Sacred Heart School at 721 Wellington St. E.
The three-level former elementary school at the corner of Wellington and East streets was completely gutted for the project, which was first announced in January 2021.
The new facility houses the new Community Resource Centre, 22 low-barrier shelter beds and 22 transitional "bridge units." Principal construction is complete, with some landscaping still being finished at the site.
At the time the project was announced, Sault Ste. Marie had a total of nine shelter beds for men at St. Vincent Place. A temporary facility at the Verdi Hall increased that number to 35 total and this new facility further increases the number to 44, plus an additional eight off-site beds opened in another facility earlier this year.
“So we went from nine units in 2021 to 52 units for people,” said Mike Nadeau, CEO of District of the Sault Ste Marie Social Services Administration Board.
Nadeau said although the facility is opening a little later than originally hoped, the project did come in on budget. A construction contract worth $11,506,423 was awarded last year to Ruscio Construction to transform the former school.
Earlier this year, the Ontario government announced $4.4 million in funding for the project through the Social Services Relief Fund, with an additional $623,865 from the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative.
The Community Resource Centre (CRC) is situated on the lower floor of the facility and will house a number of partner agencies offering a host of services, including regularly scheduled times for a physician-led clinic, Ontario Works, Women in Crisis, Nogdawindamin Family and Community Services, Algoma Family Services and many others.
“We really tried to make sure it’s nice and something people can be proud of — the community and the users of the service,” said Nadeau. “Just by showing that we care and investing in the facility hopefully they will see it as an investment in themselves and we can start to work with people a little differently.”
The CRC will be operated by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Algoma, which will have peer workers on site Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In turn, the shelter portion of the building will be closed during those daytime hours.
“What is really nice is the shelter guests and the bridge unit occupants can come down and participate in meetings on site versus having to go out,” said Annette Katajamaki, executive director of CMHA Algoma. “They have the option during the day to come down and partake in the services, engage with providers, get their laundry done.”
That will also extend to some evening programming at the CRC, like Narcotics Anonymous meetings planned to be held there in the future.
Nadeau said most shelters in Ontario are only open in the evenings. The shelter at the Verdi was being operated 24/7 because there were no other options available at the time.
”We wanted to move to when the CRC is open, the shelter is closed. The idea is to come down here [to the CRC to] get coffee, get snacks and engage with service providers so we can start to help people in some of the struggles they are having,” he said.
Katajamaki said the casual environment of the CRC will be a welcome one for the clients who will use it, many of whom are uncomfortable in traditional office or clinical settings where they would usually seek out services.
“The best way to serve them is in a setting where they feel a part of the community, not in an office setting,” said Katajamaki.
The 22-bed low-barrier men’s shelter is located on the building’s second floor, as are some of the transitional bridge units, with the balance of the 22 total bridge units on the third floor. The shelter and bridge units have a separate entrance from the CRC.
Next week, the temporary shelter at the Verdi Hall will close its doors and the occupants will be moved into the new facility.
“It’s all going to happen on one day — they will leave one place and go to the other place. That’s mostly a staffing issue — we can’t double staff — so we are going to move people along and it will be a very busy day,” said Katajamaki.
Many of them will occupy the new bridge units, which are private and include a bed, night stand, small refrigerator and clothes rack. The rest will be put in the main shelter room, which includes 22 cots and no privacy.
Nadeau said the lease at the Verdi is up at the end of October and it is his intention is to have it seem like there was never a shelter operating there.
“We are not just walking away, we have to make sure it’s cleaned up and the carpets need a deep clean. We are looking at any minor renovations that are required to put it back to its original state,” he said.
An effort is being made to be good neighbours in the new space. Staff and partners have been knocking on doors to introduce themselves and make the neighbourhood aware the facility will be opening soon, and even hosted a community barbecue.
Landscaping, including fences and hedges, will block some of the activities on the site from neighbours. Nadeau said this is as much for the privacy of the occupants as it is for the neighbours’ peace of mind.
“There is a lot of stigma that goes into mental health and addictions, so we didn’t want to stigmatize people as they are standing out front and people drive by,” he said. “Sometimes they don’t look the best because they don’t feel the best, so we really wanted to make sure we help those community members and not provide a stigmatizing atmosphere, but actually invest in them so hopefully they will begin their recovery.”
Staff will also begin each shift by walking around the immediate area. Downtown Ambassador Program staff will do the same in the evenings.
“The staff will be doing walkabouts in the neighbourhood to clean up anything that may be lying around,” said Katajamaki. “We want to make sure it is a safe place for folks.”
Nadeau noted mental health addictions and overdoses affect every segment of the population and does not discriminate on income.
“There are a lot of great services coming to the community. It’s not going to end the mental health and addictions crisis we are in, unfortunately that is going to require, in my opinion, significant dollars into the health care system and into housing,” said Nadeau.
Katajamaki said she hopes the new facility will create a sense of value and pride within the people who use it.
“We are really hoping the space itself will make them feel like they are valued, they are respected and a part of our community,” said Katajamaki.
She also hopes that the community as a whole will take an active role in supporting the people who use the shelter and CRC.
“Each of us individually and as a community have a huge role to play," said Katajamaki. "We need to treat people like humans again. We have to stop dehumanizing people."