Homeless advocates say there’s not enough beds or services available in North Bay

Homeless advocates in North Bay say there’s a serious shortage of services -- from shelter beds to outreach workers -- when it comes to helping vulnerable people get back on their feet.

Packing up what little belongings he has, Kevin Storie is going to have to find a new place to live. Storie has been on the street for four years.

“When you don’t have anywhere to go to process what life has thrown at us, it’s disheartening,” he said.

Storie and three others were living behind Cash 4 U on Cassells St. for the last several weeks. The property owner is asking them to leave.

“More people are worried about how to get rid of the problem than solve it,” Storie said.

Homeless advocates helping him and others clean up said the city and the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board have properly addressed the problem.

“The city might have to identify what’s been going on here,” said Gregory Gray, a member of the Homeless Advocates of North Bay group.

Gray estimates there are around 40 smaller encampments spread throughout the city. The advocacy group is hoping to convince them to relocate to Kinsmen Beach and set up a cleaner, safer encampment.

Packing up what few belongings he has, Kevin Storie is going to have to find a new place to live. Storie has been on the street for four years. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

A homeless advocacy group in North Bay is hoping to convince encampment residents to relocate to Kinsmen Beach and set up a cleaner, safer encampment. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)But services board chairman Mark King is against the idea.

“I want to speak to this as a city councillor,” King said.

“Within two hours, bylaw (officers) would be over there and move them off that property … It is public property. But it’s not designed for encampments.”

The problem stems from what the group says is a severe lack of services. There are only 21 beds at the low-barrier shelter before moving into the Northern Pines transitional housing complex to not enough outreach workers to conduct wellness checks.

'There are hundreds'

“It boils down to that there’s not just five or six of us. There are hundreds,” Storie said.

Following the results of a feasibility study of the homelessness system in the District of Nipissing in April, a consultant recommended developing a 24/7 business model for homelessness services, including an integrated low-barrier shelter and homeless hub.

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The report said that model aligns with the district’s goal of ending chronic homelessness, while at the same time providing pathways to services like emergency shelters, warming sites, food security and outreach services.

King said conversations around this idea are heating up.

“There’s been an awful lot of effort to try and address this issue and I think we have an alternative,” he said.

But for now, homeless people like Storie worry all that’s happening is essentially papering over the cracks.