Sudbury city council has endorsed a new plan to tackle homelessness, safety and economic challenges in the downtown core — but several councillors warned the city must avoid simply moving problems from one neighbourhood to another.
The report, presented Tuesday night by Chief Administrative Officer Shari Lichterman, recognized current efforts downtown Sudbury, but emphasized the need for a new, collaborative approach.
The plan focuses on five areas: social services, beautification, animation, safety and security, and planning for a “prosperous downtown.”
Lichterman told councillors the city’s leadership team created the plan after months of meetings with business owners, social agencies and residents frustrated by what she called “having the same conversation over and over again.”
While councillors agreed the city needs a new approach, many questioned if other parts of Greater Sudbury are being ignored and if centralizing services downtown would push homeless populations to other areas.
24/7 social services hub
The trailer on Energy Court, off Lorne Street in downtown Sudbury, used to operate Sudbury’s supervised consumption site but has since been modified to operate as an overnight warming centre. (Sarah MacMillan/CBC)
A central piece of the plan calls for expanding the Energy Court warming centre into a 24-hour social services hub, offering round-the-clock access to washrooms and addiction treatment.
Greater Sudbury Police have agreed to maintain a stronger presence downtown and support operations at the Energy Court site.
Coun. Mike Parent asked if there’s been discussions around mitigating the risk of pushing the homeless population to other parts of the city.
“There are risks to trying to centralise the services and potentially the encampment in one location… certainly trying to have a diverse array of services on site is going to be a big piece of that,” Lichterman said in response.
Coun. Joscelyne Landry-Altmann also raised the same concern and said residents and businesses in surrounding neighbourhoods such as The Flour Mill, Cambrian Heights and The Donovan are worried about the displacement of people from the downtown core.
“With the concentration of resources, whether it’s city resources or police services resources, the concern is that there won’t be enough to go around,” she said.
Several councillors also raised questions about the long-term use of the Energy Court site. Lichterman said it would act as a temporary location to better coordinate services, not as a permanent encampment.
Coun. Natalie Labbée asked how the partnership with police would address open drug use in the downtown.
“[Police] can issue tickets, summons to people who are doing that. But ultimately it’s where do these people go because they’re not immediately remanded into custody for that kind of behaviour. And even if they are, they’re quickly back out,” she said, adding that a new hub will help police direct those individuals on where to go.
Memorial Park ‘reset’ and beautification
Homeless encampments have become a common sight in Sudbury’s Memorial Park in recent years. (Sarah MacMillan/CBC)
The report also calls for a “complete clean-up and reset” of Memorial Park, stating litter, waste and drug paraphernalia have become major concerns.
Lichterman said cleanups have been limited in the past because of safety risks for workers.
The park would see new landscaping and safety improvements, along with more frequent programming by the city meant to bring people back downtown.
City staff will also review street-cleaning schedules, strengthen property standards enforcement and finalize a new agreement with the downtown business association, which could include an ambassador program to maintain cleanliness and provide “eyes on the street.”
Next steps
City council also approved a plan to keep the Samaritan Centre, Energy Court warming centre and Off the Street Emergency Shelter open for longer hours this winter.
Lichterman said a full rollout of the plan would take several months, with more visible progress expected by spring, but work on Energy Court is expected right away.
“I know it has been a a major point of frustration for residents and businesses and and many of you,” Lichterman said.
“But we are prepared to work together to try to resolve some of these issues. They’re very complex. It’s not going to be easy.”