Advocacy & Awareness.

We believe we can end homelessness in Simcoe County.

Supervised Consumption Sites and Homelessness

SCATEH recognizes Supervised Consumption Sites (SCS) as critical, evidence-based services, especially for marginalized populations including those experiencing homelessness.

"As an alliance to end homelessness, we advocate for everyone to have safe, affordable, stable housing and to be included in society. In the meantime, we also advocate for policy that protects those marginalized by homelessness from increased health risks, criminalization, and discrimination. For these reasons, SCATEH is in full support of a Supervised Consumption Site in downtown Barrie, where health data and research indicate it will be most useful and accessible to those who need it most."

Get the Position Paper

Download the SCATEH Supervised Consumption Site (SCS) and Homelessness Position Paper as a PDF (February 2021)

Housing as a Right

SCATEH has asked the County of Simcoe to recognize housing as a right:

• Housing has been recognized as a human right by the United Nations since 1948.
• In 2019, as part of the National Housing Strategy Act, the federal government of Canada recognized “the right of every Canadian to access adequate housing.”
• The right to housing should be recognized within housing strategies as a legal right, with reasonable budgets allocated to ensure that we move as quickly as possible toward the goal of adequate housing for all.
• All levels of government share an obligation to prioritize those most in need, in our progressive realization of the right to adequate housing. 

​Get the Policy Brief

Download the SCATEH Homelessness and the Right to Housing Policy Brief as a PDF (September 2020)

Homeless Encampments

SCATEH media statement re Milligan’s Pond eviction, June 18, 2020
“The encampments we are seeing at Milligan’s Pond and elsewhere around Barrie and Simcoe County are a survival response. Due to inadequate affordable housing options, many people experiencing homelessness spend months or years on waitlists and are forced to create their own communities in the form of encampments to meet their basic needs. 

We recognize that the City has bylaws in place that do not allow for sleeping overnight on public property, and at times feels the need to enforce these bylaws in response to constituent complaints. However, we have reminded city staff that forced evictions of encampments are a violation of international human rights laws and put the individuals experiencing homelessness in an even more vulnerable position. 
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Rather than evicting encampments and criminalizing homelessness, we would like to see a focus on creating low barrier, affordable housing options - with the right options to match the needs of those living in encampments, evictions could be avoided altogether. We invite anyone concerned with the encampments to work with us to provide meaningful housing options to meet this need.”

Get the Position Paper

Download the SCATEH Homeless Encampments Position Paper as a PDF (June 2020)

Resource:
A National Protocol for Homeless Encampments in Canada (2020)