Midhurst/June 1, 2026 –With the onset of warmer weather, the County of Simcoe is thanking residents, community partners, and area businesses for their support throughout the winter season, helping ensure that no one was left in the cold who wanted a warm place to sleep. With winter warming centre services across the region now closed for the season, the County of Simcoe will soon commence planning and preparations for winter 2026-27.
“Over the winter, the County opened eight warming centres across Simcoe County – including 24/7 sites in the cities of Barrie and Orillia,” explained Warden Basil Clarke. “Through Orillia’s warming centre alone, staff were able to help eleven individuals transition into permanent housing, while connecting many others to emergency shelters, housing resources, and healthcare services. These successful outcomes are exactly why we go above and beyond for our community: to build up homes, lives, and hope.”
As we begin the planning of next winter’s response strategy, the County would like to take a moment to recognize those who stepped up during what was the snowiest season in recent memory for our communities. Over the course of the winter season, the County of Simcoe and its partners:
- Opened 8 warming centres across the region, including Barrie, Bradford, Midland, Orillia, and Wasaga Beach
- Overnight: Provided 7,494 overnight stays, ensuring 846 unique individuals had a warm and dry place to sleep
- Daytime: Offered 353 individuals opportunities to warm up on 885 occasions during the coldest days
- Overnight: Provided 7,494 overnight stays, ensuring 846 unique individuals had a warm and dry place to sleep
- To maximize options for access to warm, indoor locations, all 6 County of Simcoe Social and Community Services were open during business hours for individuals to come in from the cold. These sites will continue to offer refuge from the heat and inclement weather throughout the summer months.
- Offered access to meals and food services, in addition to free laundry facilities and donated clothing across various warming centre locations
- Connected unhoused individuals to long-term supports, including food banks, shelters, Ontario Works services, health-related supports and connections, supportive housing, HART Hub services, and bridge housing, among others
Warming centres are one of several measures the County of Simcoe delivers in partnership with community organizations to support people experiencing homelessness by providing a safe indoor space and relief from extreme weather conditions. For information on the County’s 10-point Homelessness Prevention Strategy, visit simcoe.ca/HomelessnessSystem.
About the County of Simcoe
The 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.