Some residents living near the site of a planned supportive housing project say the development will oversaturate the neighbourhood when it comes to homelessness services.
Indwell held a drop-in open house on Tuesday evening at the Lochiel Kiwanis Community Centre and the room was packed as soon as it began at 5:30 p.m.
The company is working to develop 51 supportive housing units at 333 George Street in Sarnia, which is a vacant site owned by the County of Lambton.
It's also just a few blocks away from the River City Vineyard homeless shelter on Mitton Street, which has neighbours expressing their concerns.
Chris Beausoleil said it's not a matter of 'not in my backyard', but he said the neighbourhood is already doing its part.
"We're already hosting a service for the homeless, it's unfair and unjust to us that Indwell is forcing us to do more," he said.
He admits things have become better recently when it comes to issues with River City.
"We've gone from about a level nine to about a level four. We still see a lot of weird things going on in the neighbourhood, but not like we used to."
Kelly O'Connor-Beausoleil said the area has been disrespected for decades.
"We've had to come together four times for the safety of the neighbourhood. First, it was River City Vineyard, then it was the old hospital coming down and then some people disagreed with the height (of the Aura apartments)," said O'Connor-Beausoleil. "The neighbourhood deserves a break, the city is always talking about revitalizing central Sarnia and the core of the city. This is not how you do it. This is the opposite of how you do it. And, the whole lack of any consultation. We pay taxes, we're citizens."
Liz Cochrane circulated a petition opposing the development, which had dozens of signatures.
"It is a real concern for some of the residents there, who are elderly, some of them have lived there fifty years-plus," said Cochrane. "There's been poor communication. Even when you look at the glossy, it doesn't describe a lot of the intense needs of the people who will be there."
Shannon Jacques lives on nearby Cameron Street.
"It will be directly in my backyard," said Jacques. "There goes my privacy, first of all. I'd be supportive if it were just affordable housing, but it's not that. We've already dealt with this for 20 years with River City, which is now drug-free. That's helped the neighbourhood. I've done my own research, (supportive housing) in London has destroyed neighbourhoods and made things more unsafe. I apologized to the Indwell staff because they're taking the brunt of what the county and council should be taking."
Indwell Director of Community and Donor Engagement Judy Eising said Tuesday's open house was a great chance for the company to create awareness about the project and introduce itself to the area.
"We have had some positive feedback and some hesitancy," said Eising. "That's normal for something new in a neighbourhood. There are a lot of misconceptions about what supportive housing is. A lot of people equate it with the shelter. While shelters are necessary, this is not going to be a shelter. This is permanent housing. This has a team of support workers, nurses psychosocial support workers, housing support workers, addictions counselors. They're on site, providing support for people. This is where people live, so it's not going to create people out on the street because they have a home."
Eising was asked how she would respond to concerns about oversaturation in the area.
"I haven't seen, recently, problems with River City and if it's needed in the community then it's needed," she said. "I haven't seen it be a problem. But, I will also say the city does not have supportive housing. That's the piece that's missing to address chronic homelessness in the community."
Eising said one of the 'supports' offered is deep affordability.
"Most people that live with Indwell get Ontario Disability Support, what they pay in rent is geared toward what they receive. We receive Ministry of Health funding to provide the health supports that people need, and we have people that donate toward the operational needs."
Indwell works with the county and goes by its by-name list of people who are unhoused or living in precarious conditions.
The goal is to choose residents who will benefit from a more stable environment and have their health concerns taken care of.
Eising said it takes anywhere from six to eight months to get the necessary approvals, followed by 18 months of construction.
A concrete timeline has not been finalized.