Brockville’s Supportive Cabins Initiative to open doors this December
It won’t be long before the Supportive Cabins Initiative officially begins to operate in Brockville, and the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville is holding a public information session to address any questions community members may have .
The initiative, organized by the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in partnership with the John Howard Society and the City of Brockville, will see 25 cabins open and operate at 1805 County Road 2 East this December.
According to the county, “this innovative initiative is designed to address chronic homelessness in our community by providing short-term stabilization with 24/7 support services.”
The cabins were greenlit by the United Counties thanks to $3.1 million in annual funding from the Government of Ontario’s Homeless Prevention Program. With this funding, $1.6 million was used to build 25 individual cabins, which will be designed and outfitted for temporary residential living. Each cabin will have heating and cooling available and comes with a bed and a mini fridge.
According to the community impact statement, “The Supportive Cabins Initiative is a critical step towards providing immediate relief to those in need while addressing the root causes of homelessness. By offering a safe and supportive environment, this project aims to improve the overall well-being of our community.”
”We really want to highlight that this is not something we’re going into hoping for good results; a lot of thoughtful consideration and collaboration has gone into this initiative to ensure we have success from the start,” Communications Coordinator John Kalivas told Brockvilleist, “We’re hopeful those in attendance will leave the session with a better understanding of not only what we’re doing but also why we’re doing it and how it will benefit everyone involved.”
He continued, “Engaging with the public will help us gain a better understanding of the hesitancies that exist in the community and give us an opportunity to ensure we are covering those areas of interest as we move towards opening day.”
The event will be held this Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. at the Brockville Memorial Centre Community Hall. The itinerary and agenda can be found here.
For those who who have thoughts or concerns but cannot attend the in-person event, you can reach out to Communications Coordinator John Kalivas at john.kalivas@uclg.on.ca, or via phone at 613-342-3840 ext. 2454.