![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bluedoor.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/YorkRegion.jpg\")
<\/p>\n[fusion_text]<\/p>\n
News Mar 20, 2019 by Amanda Persico<\/a> YorkRegion.com<\/p>\n Built in the 1980s, Porter Place is showing its age.<\/p>\n Owned by York Region and operated by Blue Door, the men\u2019s emergency shelter in East Gwillimbury has outgrown its outdated roots.<\/p>\n One of the largest shelters in the region, with enough space for 30 emergency beds, it still runs off a septic tank and was built before Wi-Fi and broadband services.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an old-fashioned shelter,\u201d said the region\u2019s community and health services commissioner, Katherine Chislett.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s past its useful life. In the ’80s, having 30 beds was great. It was a place to get a meal and sleep at night. New facilities have come a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n Regional council recently added close to $15 million as a placeholder in the regional budget for the building of a new men\u2019s shelter.<\/p>\n Construction is still several years away, Chislett said, as the region has only started the site selection process and hopes to purchase land in the next two years.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not close Porter Place until there is one to open,\u201d Chislett said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to create that stress for people.\u201d<\/p>\n Once a location is selected, the region will set up a community liaison committee to work with surrounding neighbours, she added.<\/p>\n Chislett is looking to replicate Belinda\u2019s Place, which provides emergency and transitional housing and other supports and services for women, but for men.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking at more of a modern model,\u201d Chislett said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just about emergency shelter. It\u2019s about helping people settle into housing.\u201d<\/p>\n Plans for the new building include adding more shelter beds, transitional housing options and space for programs and other support services, such as employment and mental-health services and a drop-in centre for men at risk of homelessness in the community.<\/p>\n Homelessness is more than a housing issue, said Michael Braithwaite, the new executive director of Blue Door.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the 80s, it was a panic approach to get people off the street,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the time, it was a necessary response, but we now know it\u2019s not the only response.\u201d<\/p>\n There are three sides to homelessness, he added, prevention, reaction and aftercare.<\/p>\n Prevention is supporting those vulnerable to losing their home; reaction is shelter beds; and aftercare is offering support to keep housing \u2014 and all three need to be part of the new shelter, Braithwaite said.<\/p>\n Currently, there are 25 rooms at Porter Place, five of which are double occupancy, with little space for programming or other housing services.<\/p>\n \u201cSpace is an issue,\u201d said Alex Cheng, client services director with Blue Door. \u201cAnd now we know, the (homeless) issue is much more complicated, support is much more diverse.\u201d<\/p>\n Along with lack of space, proximity to transit is another factor in the push for building a new shelter. And location is key.<\/p>\n \u201cPorter Place is isolated, away from the community,\u201d Chislett said. \u201cIt was a different way of thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n Porter Place is located along Hwy. 11, far removed from transit, social and medical services.<\/p>\n The closest bus stop is located at the meandering intersection of Yonge and Old Yonge streets in Holland Landing, which still requires someone to cross Hwy. 11 to get to the shelter.<\/p>\n Back in 2016, pedestrian was struck and killed crossing Hwy. 11<\/a>. He was a client of the secluded shelter.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n by Amanda Persico<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Amanda has been a reporter with York Region Media Group for more than 10 years. The mother of two and Newmarket native has covered a variety of topics including lifestyle news, arts and culture, as well as municipal news for East Gwillimbury, Markham and Aurora. Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/amanda.persico.3<\/p>\n Email: apersico@yrmg.com<\/a> Facebook<\/a> Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n