Nearly half of the homeless people living in Prescott and Russell counties live in the Town of Hawkesbury.
According to the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) Department of Social Services and Housing, there were 44 confirmed homeless people living in the counties as of February 1, 2024 and 21 of those people lived in Hawkesbury.
An individual who wishes to remain anonymous recently contacted The Review and said there is an encampment of homeless people on vacant land in Hawkesbury. The Review visited one of the purported sites. No one was currently living there but there was evidence people had been living there recently. Out of the 44 homeless people in Prescott-Russell, 11 have indicated they are living outdoors.
Warming Centre
In December 2023, the Town of Hawkesbury, UCPR, and other social services organizations began efforts to establish an overnight warming centre for homeless people. The result is a warming centre now open nightly at the former St-Jean-Bosco school on Abbott Street. The centre is operated by Victim Services of Prescott-Russell using funding provided by the UCPR which it received from the Ontario government, and a donation from the Canadian Mental Health Association. The building is still owned by the school board, the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est Ontarien (CSDCEO).
According to Victim Services Executive Director Marie Lemay, the centre offers a place for people to rest and get warm. There are tables and reclining chairs.
“It speaks to the need for community,” Lemay said.
The centre offers snacks, hot beverages, hygiene products, blankets, gloves, and socks for users.
The warming centre is a pilot project and will operate until March 2024. A team of Victim Services volunteers helps supervise the facility and a security guard is present at all times. Lemay said the facility serves as a warming centre only.
“It’s not a homeless shelter,” she remarked.
Lemay said there have been on average, five to 10 people using the Hawkesbury warming centre nightly. Victim Services also offers help to people in obtaining more permanent or semi-permanent lodging. Lemay said Victim Services has been offering help to homeless people for a couple of years and she is aware there are encampments in local communities.
“It’s been a couple of years there’s been a homeless problem in Hawkesbury and Prescott-Russell,” Lemay said.
The warming centre is open from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly. The centre has operated safely each night.
“The individuals who are using the centre have been good with respecting the space,” Lemay said.
Mayor comments
Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Lefebvre is aware there are homeless people residing outdoors in the town.
“There’s a few places where people have been living,” he said.
Lefebvre said some homeless individuals are spending the night in the heated areas of bank lobbies which are always open to allow customers to access ATM’s.
Lefebvre, who is also the Chair of the Police Services Board and oversees the Hawkesbury Central Food Bank, said the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) make wellness checks on homeless individuals and determine if they require further assistance. He said many of the homeless people in Hawkesbury are food bank clients.
“We basically make sure they are well-taken care of and looked after,” Lefebvre said.
At the food bank, clients are always asked for their address. Lefebvre said homeless individuals are identified when they cannot provide a permanent address.
Social Services
The UCPR Department of Social Services and Housing coordinates services to assist homeless people. According to Housing Stability Coordinator Nadia Séguin, the department offers individualized service by phone, e-mail or in person to individuals to discuss their homeless situation. The department also works in partnership with other services individuals are already using. Assistance is provided to help individuals apply for subsidized housing, and screening to get on the By-Name List the department maintains for people needing accommodation. Department staff follow up with homeless individuals on a monthly basis.
Séguin, accompanied by a paramedic, the MCRT team, a by-law officer, or the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital crisis team, meet with homeless people to follow up and offer available services on a regular basis.
The UCPR’s Homelessness Prevention Program offers gift cards for food and gas, as well as care kits, toques, mittens, coats, boots and hand and foot warmers. When a person goes to a shelter or residence, a cab can be paid for.
As for the future of the warming centre in Hawkesbury, Lefebvre is hopeful it will continue in some form.
“I think it’s important to provide,” he said.
In March a committee of representatives of the town, UCPR, and various social services organizations will meet to determine how to proceed with future warming centre services.
Thanks for these articles, I’m glad to know something about how my community supports people in need of support.