With the temperature continuing to dip, the city is looking at ways to deal with an “unprecedented and unpredictable” homelessness crisis.

Susan Evenden, director of social assistance and homelessness services, said there were an average of 55 single adults per night for most of the year at the city’s emergency shelters, including Rosewood House, which operates 30 emergency co-ed beds on Nelson Street, the 20-bed men’s shelter at the Salvation Army Booth Centre on Dalhousie Street, and at motels, with an average length of stay of 22 nights.

That number jumped in mid-October to a high of 84 people where it has remained.

“Based on current trends, staff believe that a decline is unlikely for the remainder of the year and into 2020,” Evenden told the city’s social services committee on Wednesday. “It is clear that this unpredictable and unprecedented situation requires a different solution as winter approaches.”

When the city adopted a new strategy for its shelter system in November 2018, Brantford Welcome In Resource Centre, a 36-bed shelter on West Street, closed and Rosewood opened with 20 beds. With a spike in the number of people seeking shelter, Rosewood added 10 more beds in May, with an additional four for overflow.

The social services committee agreed on Wednesday to continue funding those 10 extra beds in 2020 at a cost of $237,900. Brant County will pay about $15,000 of that cost. The committee also agreed that, if the need for the beds extends beyond 2020, that the annual cost be included in the 2021 operating budget.

It costs the city about $1.4 million annually to operate its emergency shelter system.

But the city’s 64 emergency beds, which also includes 10 at Nova Vita for women and women with children, won’t be enough to get through the winter.

City staff is currently looking for a site that will become a “winter warming” location from Dec. 1 to April. That site, said Evenden, will be temporary and offer only overnight stays.

She said there are several factors leading to increased homelessness, which is being experienced not just in Brantford, but many other communities. She said “non-economic” evictions are the No. 1 cause – people may be told to leave because of behavioural issues or because landlords are making changes to their properties.

“There are some people who can’t be housed without extensive support.”

There also be a link, said Evenden, to increased drug use and challenges to the mental health system.

The city is also struggling with a severe shortage of affordable housing. There are currently 1,700 people on a city waiting list for affordable housing and a single person with no dependents can wait eight to 10 years for a place to live.

On Wednesday, the social services committee also agreed to form a housing partnerships task force that will work with non-profit, faith-based and private sector organizations to accelerate the development of affordable housing.

The city has a plan to construct 500 affordable housing units over the next 10 years at a cost of more than $20 million.

Evenden said about 80 per cent of emergency shelter users are collecting some kind of social assistance, either through Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program. A single adult on ODSP gets a maximum monthly cheque of $1,169, including $497 for shelter. A single adult on Ontario Works gets a maximum monthly cheque of $733, including $390 for shelter.

Brantford Coun. Dan McCreary said changes made to the city’s emergency housing system have “made it very attractive to live at shelters.” At Welcome In, guests stayed overnight, were given a breakfast, had to leave for the day and could return in the evening.

Under the new system at Rosewood, guests get three meals a day and snacks and don’t have to leave during the day. Guests can get supports they need for addiction, mental health and medical issues.

Rosewood executive director Tim Philp said the aim is to “help people get out of the cycle of homelessness, not just get a couple of meals and a place to sleep.”

McCreary received support from committee members directing city staff to investigate whether the municipality can retain the shelter portion of Ontario Works payments as “room and board” for those who use Brantford’s emergency shelters.

He also asked staff to look into whether the municipality could implement mandatory direct rental payment to landlords for those collecting Ontario Works benefits.

“The municipality would be directly paying the landlord so people aren’t losing their housing.”

McCreary said there are a lot of landlords who “won’t touch people on ODSP” or Ontario Works, preferring to rent to others. A direct pay system to landlords, he said, would give them a guarantee of receiving rent payments and prospective tenants collecting assistance “would probably rise to the top of the list.”

Evenden said that, according to Ontario Works rules, direct payment to landlords can be arranged if the client requests or consents to it. If there is a history of non-payment of rent, direct pay can be applied without the person’s agreement to ensure they remained housed.

“If recipients are losing their homes, there should be some legislative change so the municipality looks after rents for them so they don’t lose their accommodations,” said McCreary.

There were also concerns raised at Wednesday’s meeting about coming changes to social assistance in Ontario that will change the definition of disability for ODSP and may force recipients to instead live on Ontario Works.

Although she said she had no specific information, Evenden estimated the changes would reduce the number of local people who qualify for ODSP by at least half.