Living Space recently announced plans to expand operations to a new location at 316 Spruce St. South beginning in May 2021. The move, facilitated by the Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board’s (CDSSAB) property acquisition plans, will allow Living Space to better serve the community and those experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness.
“The Spruce St. location for Living Space is good news for the City of Timmins,” says Mayor George Pirie. “It’s exciting that a collaborative approach to addressing homelessness has led to this opportunity.
“The acquisition did not require re-zoning and was, therefore, not part of any city approval process. In the past, Living Space has effectively housed individuals across several sites in conjunction with partners like the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Cochrane-Timiskaming. This new location offers a solution for a larger, centralized space with an opportunity to enhance current services. It’s a step in the right direction.”
Living Space has confirmed that the Spruce St. South location will allow them to expand their current 30 bed emergency shelter program. There will also be room for additional clinical space for their health services program and an opportunity to create dedicated programming space.
“The success of the programs offered by Living Space is experienced by individuals like Chris R.,” adds Mayor Pirie. “Chris was homeless due to job loss, mental health, and trauma when he first arrived at Living Space in 2018. He was one of the first people to move into Living Space’s transitional housing units and was eventually hired as one of their first “Outreach Workers.” Chris will be helping to launch Living Space’s Peer/Lived Experience Outreach Team this summer. There are good news stories happening and we need to share them, talk about them, and start to change the stigma surrounding homelessness.”
Living Space expects the move to be completed by October 2021. Their Cedar St. North location will be re-purposed and used for single, transitional and supportive housing.
According to Living Space, there are currently over 350 people experiencing chronic homelessness with another 700 people who have experienced homelessness in Timmins since 2011.