'Every single moment is a struggle,' Barrie man living on streets worries as winter approaches

Jeff Mintz calls the area beside the Bayfield Street ramp along Highway 400 in Barrie home.

"That cold, that's what really gets you," he says. "And that's what I'm really afraid of here too."

The 40-year-old says he has been without a roof over his head off and on for six years.

"Every single moment is a struggle," he says. "It's really hard to explain. You have to live it."

Estranged from his family, Mintz admits he's battled his share of personal demons for years and says the pandemic only made that fight more difficult.

"I was outside in the wintertime, and the only thing that saved me was the TD parking garage downtown because it was heated in the stairwell. Me and a bunch of other people would go through there constantly," he says.

Mintz is one of the hundreds of people living on the streets in the Barrie area in need, struggling to get by on social assistance, and many with mental health, addiction, and disability challenges.

"People, regardless of their mental health, regardless of their addiction, regardless of what's happening for them, deserve a place to live. They deserve shelter. They deserve a roof over their head," says Sara Peddle, executive director of the Busby Centre.

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In a statement, the County of Simcoe Warden George Cornell wrote the County was working for "all of our residents to ensure safe and warm places to stay."

Across the City of Barrie, there are currently shelter beds for 152 people.

The County of Simcoe approved plans for a temporary shelter on Rose Street to be built in the form of mobile structures by mid-November, where the old OPP detachment once stood, adding another 50 spaces.

"For those affected by homelessness, please know that there is space available for you," the statement continues.

Community groups say the temporary solution is something each level of government needs to solve on a more permanent basis.

"Unfortunately, we're not done with band-aid solutions because it's the only thing that's keeping people alive right now," says Rev. Susan Eagle with Grace United Church.

Eagle has dedicated her life to helping those most in need, feeding and clothing the vulnerable. She says more people are struggling to survive now than ever, and time is running out.

"We continue to sign letters and request meetings with MPs and MPPs, which often go unanswered, which is very, very discouraging," she says.

Still, Eagle and her team remain hopeful. While homelessness isn't easily solved, she says there will always be people providing compassion and justice.