City Continues to Work with Community Partners to Address Homelessness in Greater Sudbury

In recent months, we have seen an increase in the number of people living unsheltered outdoors and in multiple encampment sites across Greater Sudbury. As of July 23, 2024, we know of 200 people in encampments across 49 locations. This is a significant increase from the same time last year when we knew of 77 people across 44 locations. 

As reported in the Roadmap to End Homelessness report approved by City Council on May 28, 2024, the reasons for increasing homelessness right across the country are systemic and complex, including increasing market rents, inadequate social assistance rates, insufficient mental health and addiction supports and lack of investment in affordable housing by senior levels of government. Locally, we are seeing the impact with an increasing number of people unable to maintain permanent housing. 

While the City of Greater Sudbury can’t end homelessness on its own, we are committed to taking a leading role in improving the local homelessness situation. The City continues to work collaboratively with community partners to support people experiencing homelessness, including those living in encampments, and help them access housing. Through these community partnerships, there are a number of homelessness services provided in Greater Sudbury:

Homelessness Prevention
The Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI) is administered through the Ontario Works office and Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury. The program provides funds for low-income families for last month rent deposits, utility deposits, rental or utility arrears, household items and other miscellaneous needs required to maintain housing.

Coordinated Access System and By-Name List
The City manages a real-time list of people, by name, who are experiencing homelessness and have consented to have their name added to the list. A collaboration of 17 community partner agencies support people from the list and connect them to housing and supports that meet their level of need. 

Emergency Shelters and Basic Needs
The City funds the operation of three emergency homeless shelters, with a total of 73 shelter beds, offering a safe, warm place to sleep. Some also provide access to showers, meals and housing-focused referral services. The Off the Street shelter is open to adults of any gender, Cedar Place is open to women or families with children and Safe Harbour House is a low-barrier emergency shelter for women. 

The Samaritan Centre also offers access to free meals, laundry, showers, washrooms, a drop-in resource centre and support services. 

Client Navigators
The City has a team of staff that helps people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness to navigate the system to get to housing stability. They collaborate with Bylaw, outreach teams, Indigenous partners, emergency shelters, social housing providers and community agencies. They help people get added to the By-Name List, access CHPI funding, and apply for ID, Ontario Works and other income, the social housing waitlist and rent supplement programs.

Community Outreach
Through the Homelessness Network, the community outreach team provides outreach support to people living unsheltered outdoors. They operate 16 hours a day, 365 days a year and offer support and basic needs, clothing, immediate first aid, referrals and transportation to shelter during extreme cold weather. This team adds people to the By-Name List and connects with people who have been matched to a housing program to get them connected to that service.

Indigenous Outreach
The City has partnered with Shkagamik-Kwe Health Centre to provide Indigenous outreach support to people living unsheltered outdoors.

Housing First program
Through the Homelessness Network, lead by Centre de santé communautaire du Grand Sudbury, Housing First case management supports are provided to people who have experienced chronic homelessness, have high needs and require additional support to get and stay housed. Under a Housing First model, the program provides in-home visits, life skills, landlord and tenant support and community integration for 18 to 24 months. An additional $150,000 annually provides housing allowances to participants of the Housing First program to help them access private market housing. 

ACTT 3 (LOTUS) Transitional Housing
This is a program that provides housing and support for individuals who are homeless and have complex needs that require intensive supports to achieve housing stability. An Assertive Community Treatment Team (ACTT) made up of registered nurses, mental health and addictions workers and social workers, with access to psychiatry and primary care physicians, provides 16 hours of care, seven days a week. The program is currently operating at a temporary location for 13 people and will move to the new 40-unit affordable housing site on Lorraine Street, which is anticipated to be ready by winter 2024. 

Flex Funds
The flex funding program is intended to provide front-line service providers with quick and easy access to funds for find creative solutions to barriers for accessing or returning to permanent housing. It is commonly used to transport people back to family or home communities or to access the ID required for housing applications. 

Bridge Housing
This is the use of local motel rooms to bridge individuals between homelessness and permanent housing. The bridge program is intended to relieve capacity within the emergency shelter system and stabilize persons who are homeless and have an imminent offer of permanent housing. 

For more information on homelessness programs and services in Greater Sudbury, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/homelessness 

Greater Sudbury Encampment Strategy
The City of Greater Sudbury Encampment Strategy involves a coordinated response between Municipal Law Enforcement Officers (MLEOs), Social Services staff and community partners, including the Greater Sudbury Police Service. The response involves connecting individuals with resources and housing-focused supports before removing an encampment. 

When an encampment is located on City property, MLEOs will connect the individuals with services and serve notice that they are not permitted to be encamped on City property. The length of time it takes to remove an encampment may be determined by the availability of short-term housing options, such as supportive housing and available shelter space. In the meantime, City staff continue to check in on the wellness of individuals, assess levels of risk and connect them with appropriate services while communicating that they must move on from the location. The City funds the Community Outreach team, which provides 16 hours of services per day, seven days per week. Once an encampment is removed, the area is cleaned.

Anyone wishing to notify the City of an encampment can do so by calling 311 or emailing 311@greatersudbury.ca. If an encampment is located on private property, the property owner is encouraged to make a report to Greater Sudbury Police Service to have the trespasser(s) removed. A police report should also be made where there are concerns of criminal activity. 

Opioid Crisis
The City is also a key leader in the Community Drug Strategy, with a mission of connecting individuals, families, organizations, businesses and leaders to work together to promote health and well-being and address the toxic drug crisis in Greater Sudbury.

To address the impact of discarded needles in the community, the City has signed a short-term contract with Réseau ACCESS Network to collect and dispose of used syringes. The City is in the process of initiating a public procurement process for a permanent provider of these services in the immediate future.

Information on safely disposing of needs can be found on Public Health Sudbury & Districts’ website at www.phsd.ca/safe-needle-disposal/.

The Roadmap to End Homelessness by 2030 outlines recommendations to reach functional zero homelessness – meaning homelessness is rare, brief and non-recurring – through a housing-first approach. This strategy requires commitment and significant investment across all levels of government. Staff is currently preparing a financial plan and developing relevant business cases, including comprehensive funding and advocacy strategies, which will be delivered to Council as part of the 2025 budget process.

To learn more about the Roadmap to End Homeless by 2030, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/roadmap-to-end-homelessness-by-2030.