Two local men experiencing homelessness crashed the city’s budget deliberations Monday to make a plea to city councillors for help.
Kyler Barkey, 32, and Ron Countryman, 61, decided to attend the meeting after hearing council would consider increasing funding for the Orillia Overnight Warming Centre.
The Lighthouse requested $31,500 in funding for the warming centre for 2023, nearly double the city’s 2022 contribution of $16,500.
After arriving at the meeting, Countryman approached the stage and pleaded with council and city staff to find a way to keep the warming centre open for more nights through the winter.
With the warming centre open from Feb. 2-7 due to extreme cold passing through the area, he expressed great concern that it would no longer meet the threshold for opening beyond that date.
“Somebody please help us,” Countryman told councillors and city staff.
Currently, the warming centre opens when the temperature drops to -15 degrees Celsius or -20 with windchill, but with additional funding the threshold could likely be lowered to -10.
In an interview with OrilliaMatters, Countryman highlighted the urgency of his request and the amount of people struggling with mental health, addiction, and housing issues in Orillia.
“This is an emergency whether you believe it or not,” he told OrilliaMatters.
“This can’t wait for the city to make a decision three weeks from now,” he said. “What I want is for (the warming centre) to stay open, even if it’s -5. A person who (is) dealing with mental health issues or addiction issues or just depression, we don’t want them to feel there’s nobody there for them.”
Barkey added that people experiencing homelessness have extremely limited options.
“Just have it open every day because … homeless people have no place to go,” he said. “Do you want people sleeping on the benches? Do you want people sleeping in the banks? Do you want people building all these structures in the woods?”
Later in Monday’s budget meeting, council approved the Lighthouse’s request.
As the decision is still subject to ratification at the end of budget deliberations, councillors wondered whether the funding could be released early to help the warming centre stay open for more nights in the immediate future.
“Is there anything we can do this season, so that we're able to help out people realistically this week?” asked Coun. Whitney Smith.
“In their presentation last year, they called for the funds to be released immediately. I'm not sure if that's something that could be done this time around?” asked Coun. Jeff Czetwerzuk.
Coun. Janet-Lynne Durnford questioned whether council could amend its motion to see the funds released immediately, as they are currently slated for next winter’s warming centre budget.
Mayor Don McIsaac suggested passing the motion as is and approaching the Lighthouse about it to see if they can handle the additional capacity this winter.
“You kind of have to check with them to see … if they can handle it,” McIsaac said. “Why don’t we pass the motion as is and we can maybe figure out an alternative?”
In a later interview, Lighthouse executive director Linda Goodall said staff is near capacity this winter, but that she would find a way to make it happen.
“We make things happen,” she said. “We would do everything that we could possibly do to make it happen. We do need to have two staff on each night, and that's a safety thing complemented by volunteers, (but) I believe that we could do it at the -10 (threshold).”
The warming centre started in 2021, and Goodall said it has saved lives since opening.
“When the Lighthouse (is) at capacity, at about 70 individuals on our property, with our supportive housing and our shelter, there's nowhere else for people to go. In extreme cold, … it has literally saved lives,” she said.
