Grey County is in the process of purchasing the Diamond Motel in Owen Sound to use as emergency housing.
At their meeting Thursday, County councillors directed staff to finalize a roughly $3 million purchase of the property located at 713 9th Avenue East.
The County is responsible for providing homelessness services and programs in the area.
County Warden Brian Milne says in a statement, “Homelessness is a problem we see growing in communities across the province and Grey County is no exception,” adding, “Investing in this motel is an investment in safety and security for the residents of our communities who are being left out in the cold.”
The County has been paying for short-term emergency motel room accommodations for people who need them especially in the winter, but a release says the current supply of short-term emergency and transitional housing is not sufficient to meet demand.
The short-term emergency housing program currently costs around $120 per night per room. The purchase of the Diamond Inn projects a reduction in the cost to $52 per night.
The County says operating 22 rooms at the Diamond Motel is predicted to provide nearly 10,000 nights of accommodation a year, with a capacity of about 13,000 nights of accommodation if needed.
“We are able to offer 5,000 more nights of housing throughout the year,” says County Director of Housing Anne Marie Shaw who notes, owning a motel gives the County more control over the process. She says the County will have staff onsite who can meet with people and help them form a plan for longer term housing as well as help them access resources they might need. “Maybe that’s making referrals to some primary care, helping out with some financial concerns, so it will be great to have everybody on one site and staff available,” says Shaw.
She says the County’s accommodations will be pet friendly.
The hope is to start the program at the motel in March.
The County says, as of November 31st, 2023, Grey County provided 9,173 nights of accommodation through the program. An additional 992 are expected when December numbers are reported. Staff say this has created a deficit of $427,000 in the 2023 calendar year.
“Homelessness is a problem we see growing in communities across the province and Grey County is no exception,” said Grey County Warden Brian Milne. “Investing in this motel is an investment in safety and security for the residents of our communities who are being left out in the cold.”
“As the demand for homelessness services rise in our community, the purchase of the motel provides more options for people while staying within our available funding. It’s a long-term, sustainable opportunity,” said Warden Milne.
The purchase of the motel would be funded through the Affordable Housing Fund and will have no impact on the 2024 levy.
Future capital costs will be built into Grey County’s capital budget.
It is estimated around $95,000 in additional investment will be needed in the next 10 years. Initial property upgrades will be funded through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiatives.
To finalize the sale, a by-law will be presented to County Council at the next meeting on February 8.