By Cecilia Nasmith
Northumberland County has announced the reopening of Transition House.
The press release stated that the Cobourg shelter is once again providing 24-hour emergency shelter services to Northumberland residents experiencing homelessness.
Transition House board chair Catherine White said they are very pleased the service is active once again, providing low-barrier emergency shelter services.
“We are focused on supporting people experiencing homelessness to secure safe, affordable and stable housing as quickly as possible,” White said.
“We are already engaging with partner agencies and look forward to continued collaboration to ensure a coordinated response to homelessness across Northumberland.”
The county announced in June that, following an intensive Request For Proposals process, it would be partnering with Transition House to deliver modernized emergency shelter services for Northumberland. It began accommodating clients Oct. 15, following a 10-month closure – during which the board oversaw recruitment to ensure a full complement of shelter staff as well as staff training in best practices for shelter operations and the Housing First Model.
The Housing First Model is at the root of the provincial housing policy and underlies all local inter-agency collaborations on the issue, It positions emergency shelters as vital point-of-entry hubs within the broader homelessness system, where people experiencing chronic homelessness are connected with resources to effect a transition to safe, affordable and stable housing as quickly as possible.
“With a history of providing compassionate refuge and transitional support for residents experiencing a housing crisis, Transition House is well positioned to deliver this essential service,” Northumberland director of community and social services Lisa Horne said in the press release.
“Homelessness is a complex issue within our community, and we welcome Transition House's contribution to the work among partner agencies to strengthen Northumberland's evolving system of housing and homelessness supports.”
