City Confirms Funding for Encampment Response Initiative: Community Consultation Planned for  
Timmins City Council has directed staff to undertake community consultation on a proposed location for H.O.P.E (Housing, Outreach, Protection, and Engagement), an encampment response initiative in partnership with the Cochrane District Services Board. If approved, the plan would designate space for modular structures as temporary housing alternatives to encampments.

H.O.P.E was approved for funding in late January through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, in response to increasing municipal concerns over the safety of encampments, particularly in public spaces. While $3.2 million has been approved for the project, Timmins City Council has requested that community consultation be carried out immediately to help inform site selection.

The City has identified four municipally owned locations based on the following key criteria: overall size, accessibility to essential services and supports, proximity to existing municipal infrastructure, feasibility of setting up needed utilities and amenities, and the overall safety and security of residents and the surrounding community. The public will be asked to review the proposed locations and identify which site they feel would be most suitable.

Public consultation will begin on Monday, February 24, 2025 until Friday, March 14, 2025. On Monday, the City will provide a summary of each feasible location, including how each site meets key criteria, online at Timmins.ca. The project webpage will include a video presentation, short survey, and feedback form. The survey will be available in both French and English, and a printed copy can be picked up at and returned to Service Timmins before March 14, 2025. The City is committed to a structured and transparent community engagement process. Focus groups and partner discussions will also be conducted with community partners, service agencies, and people with lived or living experience of homelessness.

For more information on the proposed H.O.P.E. initiative, see: https://bit.ly/42ZfRGc
Posted by Amanda Dyer On 2/19/2025 at 10:49 AM  

 
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