Lambton officials set “optimistic goal” of closing Exmouth St. shelter in the spring

Heather Wright/The Independent

Lambton County officials say Sarnia’s temporary shelter could close in the spring if more housing is ready. Neighbours around the shelter are skeptical.

County officials say closing the Exmouth Street shelter before the spring, when more housing units are not ready, would likely lead to more encampments in Sarnia, according to Melissa Fitzpatrick, general manager of social services for the county.

She told county councillors Nov. 5, the controversial overflow shelter continues to operate because “there remains shelter needs that cannot be met solely by the Good Shepherd’s Lodge.”

Neighbours surrounding the old church started asking the county and the city to do something about the crime and drug use in the area around the 35 bed-shelter about a year after it was set up in 2023.

Sarnia politicians have been asking the county when the overflow shelter, which was supposed to be temporary, will close. Wednesday, Fitzpatrick laid out the reasons why its still operating saying county officials are hopeful it could close in the spring of 2026.

Ian Hanney, manager of homelessness prevention, told councillors after the Good Shepherd’s Lodge is filled for the night, people without a place to stay are directed to the overflow shelter on Exmouth. About 85 per cent of the beds are filled normally.

“In recent weeks, it is common to only have a few beds available on any given night.” Statistics from the county show there was a steep increase in the number of people without a home, up 30 from August to September. Fifty six new people sought help in September while 15 were placed in homes.

Officials say 26 new housing units will become available shortly, some at the new HART Hub being created with provincial money. The county is also working with private landlords on rent subsides to get more people into homes.

“Our community is among very few in Ontario with relatively stable total levels of homelessness…and very few encampments,” said Hanney.

But Fitzpatrick warns closing the overflow shelter before more housing is available could change that. “Prematurely closing the overflow will have the greatest impact on the City of Sarnia as 95 per cent of those experiencing homelessness are Sarnia resident,” she said adding, “Insufficient shelter space would inevitably result in an increase in encampments.”

Fitzpatrick says the county staff have set an “optimistic goal” of closing the shelter in the spring of 2026 but that can only happen if there is enough housing to move people out of temporary shelters and the levels of homelessness remains “fairly stagnant.”

Sarnia City Mayor Mike Bradley asked for an April deadline for the closure and suggested if there was still a need, another location could be explored. County staff said that would be expensive and it could take up to six months to set up a new shelter once a location was found.

Sarnia City/County Councillor Bill Dennis pushed for a firm deadline. “The county quite frankly has created a powder keg,” he said charging the temporary shelter as “turned people’s lives upside down…we have to do everything we can to make things right.”

Tony Gioiosa, a spokesperson for the neighbours in the Melrose neighbourhood around the shelter, was on hand to hear the discussion. He’s taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Gioiosa says has been discussion before that the shelter would close this year. “The December date was thrown out and there was no follow-through with that date; now we have an April date. Without having a documented timeline to say that’s going to be the date, we’re still concerned that it’s not going to happen,” he tells The Independent.

“Staff is looking for flexibility so if the other things don’t turn out, they can just continue to operate there.”

Gioiosa was glad to hear a discussion about what should happen if the temporary shelter on Exmouth cannot close. “It was to nice to hear more of a discussion of if it continues to evolve the way it is, maybe another location needs to be sought.”