Mayor George Pirie says Living Space would have been wise to have public consultation about the second site for its homeless shelter. “However, it’s a site that’s already zoned to house the intended site,” he points out.
The building on Spruce St. S. was once the Native Friendship Centre. The mayor says it’s a better facility to work towards ending homelessness.
“The space at the rear of this location was the previous location of the ONR rail land and is perfectly suited to be re-purposed to provide a better quality of life than the sidewalk on Cedar,” Pirie contends.
Pirie welcomes Living Space executive director Jason Sereda’s pledge to meet neighbours of the new shelter.
The mayor says that last summer, because of COVID-19, more than 50 people needed a place to sleep. That’s declining.
“The number requiring overnight accommodation is averaging about 28 right now. We are winning and I expect by 2025 homelessness in Timmins will be a memory.”