The Chamber emphasizes that municipalities need provincial leadership and funding to build the necessary treatment, recovery, and supportive housing capacity.
NEWS RELEASE
GREATER BARRIE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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The Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with Mayor Alex Nuttall and Ontario’s Big City Mayors to urgently call for provincial action on homelessness, mental health, and addictions through the Solve the Crisis: Reaction to Recovery campaign.
This initiative aligns with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s recent From Crisis to Care report, which advocates for a more unified approach to prevention, treatment, and recovery as these related challenges increasingly affect businesses and communities across Ontario.
In Barrie, this coordinated effort is coming together through partnerships between business, government, healthcare, social services, and the community. The Barrie chamber is proud to contribute through Barrie Cares.
Campus of Care, Phase 1
The first phase of Barrie’s Campus of Care is developing at the former County of Simcoe paramedic building located at 113 Tiffin St., near Anne Street. This temporary campus offers a better-coordinated access point for individuals facing homelessness. It includes a kitchen and dining area, warming space, urgent care service rooms, as well as connections to health care, housing, and community services.
Right next door, the County of Simcoe’s Bridge to Stability program provides 40 temporary bridge-housing units. Together these initiatives are forming a pathway from crisis towards greater stability and permanent housing solutions.
Barrie Cares is also working towards realizing a long-term vision for a permanent Campus of Care. They are collaborating with government entities, healthcare providers, housing organizations, social services groups, businesses, and community partners to explore a more integrated system of care.
The goal isn’t just to respond effectively when someone reaches crisis; it’s about enhancing prevention efforts too. This means improving access to proper mental health and addiction treatments while creating pathways toward supportive and permanent housing solutions. It also aims at reducing the chances that people will cycle repeatedly through shelters or emergency services. Feedback from front-line service providers along with those who have lived experience will be vital in shaping this vision going forward.
Housing
There’s also significant new housing development underway throughout Barrie. The city’s development charge waiver pilot program has identified projects potentially resulting in 1,946 new homes – including 456 affordable units – while the County of Simcoe’s project at 20 Rose St. will add around 215 affordable rental units alongside social support services.
While Barrie continues its efforts in building housing and reinforcing local support systems, municipalities along with community partners can’t create the needed mental health resources or supportive housing capacity alone. Provincial leadership is crucial-not just for helping communities tackle crises but also for investing upstream in prevention so fewer Ontarians face crises initially.
Provincial leadership
The Big City Mayors of Ontario are advocating for expanded access to treatment programs that are timely as well as dedicated provincial leadership with appropriate funding arrangements. They’re seeking legislative changes along with stronger responses addressing a crisis impacting communities all over Ontario.
“Barrie is showing what can happen when business, community and government work together. But local action can only go so far. We need the province at the table with the resources and treatment capacity to move people from crisis to recovery,” said Paul Markle, president and CEO of the Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce.
Barrie’s experience shows that real solutions emerge not from any single organization or level of government but from collaboration within communities where businesses work alongside government agencies while healthcare providers meet social services needs-all aiming towards shared outcomes. Barrie is laying down this collaborative foundation; now it needs a provincial partner ready to help turn local teamwork into sustainable system-level changes.
This matter presents both social responsibilities as well as economic ones since homelessness along with mental health issues impact our businesses as well as neighborhoods plus public services alike. Making lasting changes requires assistance from provincial authorities who should support ongoing local initiatives already in place.
The Barrie chamber plans on continuing its partnership efforts locally while advocating strongly for essential provincial action our community desperately requires.
Add your voice
The Barrie chamber invites local businesses along with residents in Barrie encourage them join Ontario’s Big City Mayors calling out loud about urgent actions needed regarding homelessness issues tied closely into mental health concerns plus addictions challenges too!
Visit Solve The Crisis. ca today if you want learn more & add your voice pushing Ontario further away reactions heading straight towards recoveries ahead!
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