Northumberland County council has authorized staff to spend up to $587,700 to meet the requirements of a bylaw related to operating the new homeless shelter in Cobourg.
County council held a special meeting Wednesday afternoon (November 6) to discuss issues related to the opening of the shelter at 310 Division St.
The shelter’s opening has been delayed, in part, due to unmet requirements of the Town of Cobourg’s emergency care establishments (ECE) bylaw, which was introduced by the town earlier this year.
County staff has been working through meeting all of the requirements of the ECE bylaw, but some outstanding issues related to liability, garbage collection, and security aren’t resolved, county council heard during a related special council meeting on October 29.
On Wednesday, council met in closed session before proceeding to an open session where it unanimously passed a resolution related to the Division St. shelter.
As part of the resolution, council authorized the spending of up to $587,700 for costs associated with compliance and approved using the county’s general reserve to fund any costs for 2024.
Council also gave the green light to update the 2025 budget to include financing requirements from the levy for the operation of the Division St. shelter in compliance with the Cobourg ECE bylaw.
Back in December 2023, Northumberland County announced the purchase of the 47-bedroom complex at 310 Division St., the former location of Cobourg Retirement Residence. The county is partnering with Transition House Coalition of Northumberland on the new facility, which is intended “to modernize shelter services,” in addition to providing a roof overhead for more people living unsheltered.
Renovations are underway to prepare for a warming room and overnight accommodations in addition to other shelter-related services and supports.
During the October 29 meeting, councillors heard the timeline for having the shelter open from a construction perspective would be towards the end of November or into December. The county originally said the shelter would open in the spring of 2024, if all went as planned.
The goal is to relocate shelter operations to 310 Division St. and close the current shelter at 10 Chapel St., operated by Transition House around the corner from the new location.
Meanwhile, the Chapel St. shelter is currently operating with 10 beds instead of 22 to comply with the Cobourg fire department’s requirements under the ECE bylaw.
At its October 29 meeting, county council authorized the spending of up to $40,000 on hotel/motel rooms for unsheltered residents. After that decision, Transition House executive director Ike Nwibe told kawarthaNOW that Transition House had booked eight additional motel rooms to support people living unsheltered in the area.
kawarthaNOW reached out to Nwibe for comment on council’s spending decision for the Division St. shelter, but did not receive a response by deadline.
