'They were on their own': Homeless shelter in Kenora, Ont., closes

The only homeless shelter in Kenora, Ont., has closed temporarily, leaving about 30 people without a place to stay, said a housing advocate in the northwestern Ontario city.

The shelter is part of Kenora's Service Hub, which itself closed for 45 days a week ago. The shelter was given a week-long extension in hopes temporary accommodations could be found for its patrons.

However,Nan Normand of the Northwest Community Legal Clinic and the housing advocacy group Making Kenora Home, said those efforts fell short.

"[Sunday] night, they were on their own," Normand told CBC's Superior Morning on Monday. "Anyone who hadn't been housed, and we estimated it at about 30, took to the bushes."

"Some are lucky enough to have tents, some aren't."

• Kenora crime concerns an 'excuse' for Service Hub Closure, housing advocate says

The closure of the Service Hub came amid claimsit was contributing to crime and drug use in Kenora. However, Normand said the facts don't back those claims up.

"It seems to be a political decision," she said. "Even though safety has been raised over and over again, the OPP service stats indicate the crimes have decreased over the previous five years."

"Specifically, violent crime is down 41 per cent, property crime is down 45 per cent," Normand said. "We wonder, if it's come down in the last five years, why are people saying the town has become more violent? So it's a perception that isn't supported by facts."

Normand said there have been some issues at the shelter since it opened five months ago.

"There were some construction delays, there were some staffing issues," she said. "But for any organization, it takes more than five months to fulfil a mandate. It seems the shelter is being blamed for many things that it obviously isn't responsible for."

Housing shortage

Compounding the problem is the fact that Kenora is in the midst of a critical housing shortage, Normand said.

"Housing is the major issue," she said. "You can't deal with homelessness without dealing with housing, affordable housing."

The Kenora District Services Board, which funds the Service Hub, has said the temporary closure is taking place so safety and programming at the facility can be re-evaluated.

In the meantime, some of the services provided at the hub, such as meals, are being handled by other agencies in Kenora. The Ne-Chee Friendship Centre, which operated the hub, is running a 24/7 street outreach program.