Bancroft’s Mayor says he expects another challenging winter is ahead in the town’s efforts to support the unhoused.
Paul Jenkins says right now there’s no certainty that an overnight shelter will be in place when the cold weather comes. He says North Hastings Community Trust’s overnight shelter, put together suddenly last January, was not intended to be a long-term operation.
But he says the town is exploring options, knowing that if nothing is put together soon several homeless people in the community will be at great risk.
“We have an opportunity for a portable facility,” Jenkins says, later explaining it’s a modular shelter building that can be moved and set up in Bancroft. “But we have to find some land for that.”
“(Hastings) County’s been working with the province to see if there’s provincial land that might be available. There’s been a lot of work going on, but it’s still tough. There’s nothing concrete for the upcoming winter season.”
Jenkins says Town and County officials have been invited to a forum hosted by private citizens to discuss homelessness. It’s taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at The Village Playhouse.