There has been a 400 per cent increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Lambton during the pandemic and it is putting a lot of pressure on the emergency housing system in the county.

Valerie Colasanti, general manager of social services for Lambton County, says Lambton has about 60 emergency shelter beds for youth, adults and families. At one point during the pandemic, there were 260 people in need of shelter.

That led the county to purchase emergency housing at local hotels. “It was a good solution when COVID started and we had to isolate them,” Colasanti told Lambton county politicians Nov. 24. But it had a big price tag.

“The cost of  housing people in motels is astronomical. We’re almost out of funds; we’ll be out of funds by the end of this year,” she says.

So, Colasanti says the county has signed a lease to open a new “congregate care” setting. “By moving people into the congregate care setting we can reduce the costs and provide the care.

“We’d like to work with them…to help them find housing, to find help with mental health and addictions, to provide primary care health care to them…so hopefully we can reduce our numbers.”

Right now, about 150 people in Lambton are in need of shelter. The new facility – an old United Church in downtown Sarnia – will house up to 30 people.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley expressed frustration the county hasn’t kept city politicians informed of the developments because they’ve been getting calls of concern from people in the area.

Colasanti says the county has reached out to the neighbourhood watch group in the area and stresses the new shelter won’t be a drop in.

“People can’t go to the setting on their own, they can’t just drop in,” she says adding people will need to register with the Shepherd’s Lodge and may be directed to the new living quarters.

Colasanti adds the centre will be temporary to address the heightened need created by the pandemic and won’t mean a permanent increase in shelter beds. She hopes the county can continue to help people find more stable housing. Since the pandemic, the county has helped 183 households move into more permanent housing, she added.