Mayor Mike Bradley wants the county to allocate most -- if not all, provincial funding geared toward "winding down" homeless encampments to the City of Sarnia.
The County of Lambton recently received $2.91 million as part of a $75.5 million investment to help municipalities across Ontario add more shelter spaces and affordable housing units so vulnerable people have alternatives to encampments.
Bradley has made multiple requests to the county seeking additional funding and support to address the homeless encampment at Rainbow Park.
The county hasn't announced how the funding will be disbursed but Bradley said he will request a meeting with Warden Kevin Marriott.
"Well, I would see that money come directly to the city to compensate us for the cost we had over this past year dealing with Rainbow Park. There are ongoing issues still with homeless in the community, and that's not going to go away here or anywhere else," Bradley said. "The county does have a team out there so they have some of their own costs, I respect that, but the fact is we have a strategy which has worked. Rainbow Park, at one point, was over 90 people [and] now it's down."
In January, city council voted to clear all homeless encampments during daytime hours.
As of December 31, 2024, the city confirmed that $701,224 was spent on health and safety measures at the park.
With fewer people (approximately 10) remaining at Rainbow Park, measures have been scaled back so the cost is expected to be significantly reduced moving forward.
"Those who are left are banned permanently from the shelters," Bradley said. "Those who are left, the county will not put them into hotels or motels because of their past behaviour. So then that question is, what do you do with those people?"
Bradley said this funding and the addition of a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment Hub in Sarnia will help, but more funding will be needed.
"We are going to try to move on many different fronts to deal with ongoing issues of addictions, homelessness, and mental health in the community," Bradley said.
As for shelters, Bradley said the hours of operation should be reviewed.
"It happens everywhere and I don't fully understand it. People in shelters are pushed out onto the streets of their community during daylight hours," he said. "I think we need to take a look at that. How can we keep the shelters operating, maybe not 24 hours a day, but more than they are today in Sarnia and elsewhere in the province because I think it creates a lot of the issues around in the community."
Area municipalities such as Chatham-Kent received $282,800, London received $75,000, and Windsor received $742,000 as part of the provincial investment.