There is a saying, "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail," and it rings especially true when a bureaucracy rushes into a deal without a clear, actionable plan for success.

Northumberland County's $2.3 million deal to expand shelter operations at Transition House in the heart of downtown Cobourg has stirred controversy for just that. Concerns persist around the quick, 30-day purchase of the property, which was done without public consultation, or consultation from either Cobourg’s mayor or democratically elected council.

Hiring Transition House's former Executive Director, Reverend Neil Ellis, as Manager of Housing Services at Northumberland County during the negotiation of the deal raised conflict of interest concerns, allowing the county to bypass competitive bidding and reward Transition House despite an unprofessional track record.

No professional, proven shelter organizations — those that use data and metrics to ensure accountability and effective service delivery – were given the chance to operate out of the expanded facility since Transition House has secured its spot as the sole provider of shelter services since 2018.

Despite a provincial funding boost in 2023, homelessness has only proliferated in the area, including the once infamous and now disbanded Cobourg encampment at the former Brookside Youth Detention Centre, provincial lands that have now been sold privately.

Transition House is currently operating a 24/7 warming room out of 310 Division, while maintaining shelter services at 10 Chapel Street, with plans to expand more shelter and transitional housing in the coming days, weeks and months ahead. However, both the county and the shelter face criticism for monopolizing homelessness services without adequate oversight or measures for the success of their programs. In what seemed like an attempt to improve transparency, the county held an open house on December 16, stating that the media and the public would have open access to the facility. However, Rebel News was initially blocked from attending by Kathleen Campbell, who makes almost $160,000 per year in her role as communications director for Northumberland County.

Ms. Campbell stayed behind to answer questions and agreed to give Rebel News a personal tour once the public tour slowed down. While speaking to people on the sidewalk, the opportunity arose to ask Northumberland County’s CAO Jennifer Moore, who makes over $220 thousand a year in her public position, about her response to Cobourg Mayor’s concerns following complaints from neighbours of the new shelter at 310 Division St., stating that she is "personally unaware of such problems."

Moore held firm that complaints were being captured in a report that would come to committee in January, but remained tight-lipped on the number of complaints received and whether a pattern was emerging.

Campbell explained that a service agreement between the county and Transition House outlines shelter standards and expectations in shelter delivery and that there "has not been a need for a review of service provision, but what there was a need for was a transition to a new facility."

When questioned on the service agreement, Campbell stated that this is not publicly available but can be obtained through freedom of information requests at a cost to the filer.

Campbell confirms that Northumberland County will maintain ownership of the facility at 310 Division to provide oversight, despite previous discussions of a 'buy back' program that would see Transition House purchase the property from the county once it has moved operations out of the 10 Chapel Street location entirely.

With 310 Division Street set to offer a warming/cooling room on the ground floor, 35 low-barrier emergency shelter beds on the second and third floors, and 10 transitional housing units on the fourth floor, the community and clients are concerned about the potential risks this poses. These risks include mixing vulnerable individuals with those who may be at different stages of their path toward sobriety and/or permanent housing, including those who have no interest in either.

There is no clear system implemented to address this concern. However, Campbell mentioned that the elevator allows individuals to bypass certain floors if desired, and that card access may be available on each floor, though this has not been confirmed. Of note, the doors on the second and third floors do not lock, whereas the fourth-floor transitional units do have locking mechanisms.

None of the units are equipped with stoves or ovens, meaning regardless of an individual's stage in the 'transition' process, they must rely on the ground floor kitchen for all homemade cooking, aside from using microwaves for food preparation.

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