New homes for addiction supportive housing
Norfolk council approves move from Simcoe core to semi-detached homes in residential area
A program credited with helping Haldimand-Norfolk residents overcome addiction issues has a new home.
The Addiction Supportive Housing program run by Holmes House — a Simcoe detox centre managed by Norfolk General Hospital — will move to a pair of semi-detached houses on Ashton Drive, a residential area in Simcoe near Oakwood Cemetery.
On Tuesday, councillors rezoned the property for use as a group home, paving the way for renovations and a planned late-summer relocation.
“It is quite a minor zoning amendment in planning terms,” planner Andrew Wallace told council.
But the proposed use of the property as supportive housing for people who have completed the 21-day detox program at Holmes House and are ready to begin the process of reintegrating into society had some neighbours concerned.
A March 5 public meeting brought dozens of people to town hall in Simcoe. Area residents expressed their fears about having people in recovery from addiction living in their neighbourhood, while current and past ASH participants told councillors about the life-saving difference the program made in their lives, and assured worried residents of the program’s stringent accountability rules.
Councillors heard that moving into a property managed by the Haldimand-Norfolk Housing Corporation will give ASH a stable, permanent home, while participants can make use of green space on the property and private areas for counselling sessions.
The new site will have up to four people living in each semi-detached house, with communal spaces to encourage interaction and increase accountability when compared to the more private motel-style accommodation at the current ASH location in downtown Simcoe.
Sarah Page, Norfolk’s general manager of health and social services, told council the ASH program is “a vital link in the ongoing recovery process for participants” by providing “safe, transitional, and affordable housing where recovery can be supported.”
Counsellors and support staff visit the site daily, and participants must meet “strict guidelines and mandatory requirements” prior to admission and to keep their spot in the program, Page added.
In contrast to the passionate debate during the public meeting, the public gallery was empty on Tuesday, and council quickly approved the rezoning.