Midhurst/June 19, 2025 – The County of Simcoe is once again creating new opportunities for adults and youth living unhoused in the region to find secure and stable housing. The County’s new Assertive Street Outreach Program engages and supports individuals and families who are living without stable housing, including those in encampments and those at imminent risk of homelessness with the goal of securing long-term, sustainable housing.
After initiating a Request for Proposals, a consortium led by Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care has been selected to oversee and operate Regional Assertive Street Outreach Program for the County of Simcoe. The consortium includes valuable community partners who have a deep understanding of the issues surrounding homelessness and knowledge and experience in working in the field including:
- Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care
- Busby
- Lighthouse
- Home Horizon
- Youth Haven
- S.H.I.F.T. (Support and Hope for Individuals and Families Today)
The Assertive Street Outreach Program will deliver services year-round, seven (7) days per week (morning, afternoon and evening), and will be flexible to meet changing community needs including encampment support outreach across the County of Simcoe, including in the Cities of Barrie and Orillia. Specific coverage areas are listed below:
- Busby Centre – Barrie/Springwater and area, and South Georgian Bay region; including Collingwood, Stayner, Wasaga Beach and Midland area (Adult and Youth)
- Lighthouse – Orillia and area (Adult and Youth)
- Home Horizon – Georgian Bay area (Youth)
- Youth Haven – Barrie, Orillia, Midland, southern Georgian Bay and south Simcoe (Youth)
- S.H.I.F.T. – South Simcoe: Innisfil, Essa, Adjala-Tosorontio, Bradford West Gwillimbury and New Tecumseth (Adult and Youth)
Quotes
“Our new Assertive Street Outreach Program represents a bold step forward in connecting with our most vulnerable residents. This flexible approach allows us to meet people where they are, building trust and creating pathways to stable housing. By expanding how we reach those in need, we’re opening doors for everyone in our community.”
Basil Clarke, Warden, County of Simcoe
“Addressing homelessness is not the work of one organization. This program reflects what’s possible when a community comes together with compassion and purpose. By building trust with those who are often hardest to reach, we’re not just offering services – we’re offering hope, connection and the belief that everyone deserves a place to call home.”
Dr. Kevin Young, Vice-President, Medical Affairs, and Chief of Staff Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care
About the Assertive Street Outreach Program
This new Assertive Street Outreach Program will engage individuals who are experiencing homelessness but not currently connected to services or are reluctant to access traditional services, such as shelters or warming centres. It looks to minimize the harmful effects of sleeping rough while working with individuals to prepare for, and ultimately find, long-term housing solutions. It will be fully integrated into Simcoe County’s Coordinated Access System and will serve as an access point to engage unsheltered persons.
The Assertive Street Outreach Program works to minimize the harmful effects of sleeping rough with the goal of finding and securing long-term housing. Assertive Street Outreach works with the household and/or individual to shorten the length of time that they experience homelessness by finding available housing as space allows.
The program is low-barrier and targets vulnerable persons across Simcoe County’s sixteen member municipalities and in the cities of Barrie and Orillia. Assertive Street Outreach continues to engage and build rapport with unsheltered individuals even if they decline housing and other services.
About the County’s 10-point homelessness prevention strategy
The County of Simcoe’s 10-point Homelessness Prevention Strategy provides a strong, data-driven plan to help vulnerable residents and our communities. The strategy includes a considerable added investment toward the goal of preventing and ending chronic homelessness. For further details and ongoing updates to the homelessness prevention plan, visit simcoe.ca/HomelessnessSystem.
About the County of Simcoe
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.