North Bay transitional housing project set to open

A transitional housing centre in North Bay meant to help Indigenous and non-Indigenous homeless people is less than a month away from accepting its first clients.

Once fully open, Suswin Village will have enough space for 30 homeless individuals who are trying to get back on their feet.

"Suswin actually means 'nest' in Ojibway,” said Becky Mathies, Suswin Village case manager

“The concept of this village is for people to feel welcomed, comfortable and safe."

Construction on this long-awaited build began in summer 2019.

Suswin Village will provide transitional housing, with the aim of placing residents into permanent housing. As many as 30 people will stay there at a given time.

"Also a big part of Suswin Village is learning their culture,” said Kathy Fortin, of the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre.

“Whether that's their language, where they've come from, where they belong as part of their history."

Each of the 30 rooms will have a bed, bathroom, closet and desk. Residents can stay for up to four years.

They can take part in various programming, including cultural and other life skills like cooking, financial planning, help with education or employment search and in some cases, anger management workshops.

"So it's kind of a one-stop shop with a holistic focus and I feel like that piece is what's really going to make the difference in some of these folk’s lives," said Mathies.

"I'm incredibly proud to be a part of this project."

"There's always hope and there definitely is a homeless issue in North Bay," added Fortin.

Suswin Village will be staffed by six full-time staff members and four casual members -- all have experience with social work.

The centre is already filtering through applications with the first five residents expected to walk through the doors in March.