With the cost of living rising, and liveable wages not, this is leaving a large number of Barrie citizens unhoused. According to a study in 2022, the County of Simcoe had 722 people unhoused with 50% of those people living in Barrie. We can only assume that with rising food and rent prices, that number has grown. That is just the general population. Of that 50% of homeless people in Barrie, about 39% identified as Indigenous. Whether it be racism or discrimination while seeking affordable housing or employment, or substance use due to intergenerational trauma or other factors, we know that the Indigenous population face a higher risk of being unhoused.

The Metis Nation of Ontario held a housing census last year to figure out needs of the community. Their findings found 37% of households have low incomes underscoring the urgent need for affordable housing solutions. Six percent of currently housed respondents expressed concerns about potential homelessness within the next 12 months, while an additional 10% were uncertain about their housing stability.

The MNO plans to address these findings by building affordable housing for citizens at 283 Barnett Avenue in Midland. The project, situated on a 1.53-acre site, will feature 14 residential lots, offering diverse housing options tailored to the needs of Metis families in the Region 7 area. Construction is set to begin spring of 2024 with housing units to be move in ready by 2025.

Due to the urgent crisis of unhoused people, the Metis Nation of Ontario have prepared street survival kits available to Metis people experiencing homelessness. These kits are available at the Barrie South Simcoe Metis Council office while supplies last.

If you are not in the Barrie area and are in need of one of these street survival kits, or know someone who is, please contact the MNO’s Victim Services Branch at 1-800-263-4889 ext. 7.