Town of Newmarket to help Inn From the Cold find a new home - Councillor Kelly Broome

NEWMARKET, ON – July 8, 2021 – The Town of Newmarket is taking action to end homelessness by supporting Inn From the Cold (IFTC) with the creation of a permanent site on Yonge Street that will include a future shelter and transitional housing.

Pending Council’s approval and review of a solid business plan and due diligence from IFTC, The Town of Newmarket will declare a portion of land surplus on Yonge Street to donate to IFTC to start plans for increased space to help those without a home transition to a better life.

“Housing affordability has reached a crisis point in York Region and Newmarket and the pandemic has left even more people in dire need,” says Mayor John Taylor. “If this project moves forward, the shelter will not only assist those who are currently without homes in Newmarket, but would offer more transitional housing and enhanced links to social services. What people need is not just a temporary stay or a meal, but longer-term solutions to bridge the gap. Transitional Housing is the key to moving people from crisis to stability. It’s my hope that our community rallies around the fight to help end homelessness and supports IFTC to help make this a reality.”

In order to ensure a building site that can support both a shelter and transitional housing, IFTC is also in the process of securing the adjacent piece of property (immediately to the south) as part of the building site. The Town has agreed to purchase that piece of land from IFTC if they are unable to proceed for any reason.

“Homelessness can create a feeling of being invisible to the rest of society. Our goal is to not only offer food and shelter but also to help individuals gain the skills and confidence to find work, housing and a sense of community. We are excited as this location is ideal to support those at the shelter. It’s on a major transit route and close to the social services required to help people to gain access to the basic building blocks in order to transition to a better life. IFTC will be applying to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for a large grant to assist in the land purchase and build and will be launching a capital campaign to raise funds for the new shelter," says Ann Watson, IFTC Executive Director.

“For some time, IFTC has been looking for sufficient space to accommodate the roll out of their transitional housing program in combination with their shelter program,” says IFTC Board Chair, Wayne Ford.

“This is an ideal location and I’m looking forward to working with Ward 6 residents to ensure their concerns are addressed and I know our community will be a part of the fight to help end homelessness and support IFTC to help make this a reality, said Ward 6 Councillor, Kelly Broome. “I will continue to engage neighbouring residents, throughout this process.”

If the project proceeds, the Town will work with IFTC and residents (including surrounding neighbours) during all stages of site development to address matters such as buffering, tree preservation, and building location, height and density, etc. IFTC has said the building site is expected to be closer to the edge of Yonge Street and will be enclosed/fenced – with access via Yonge Street only.

The Town of Newmarket will continue to inform the public with any updates.

Media Contact:
Corporate Communications
Town of Newmarket
Tel.: 905-953-5300 ext. 2040
Email: corporatecommunications@newmarket.ca

THE IMAGES BELOW OF THE BUILDING ARE CONCEPTS AND MAY NOT REPRESENT THE ACTUAL DESIGN.