Mayor's Community Roundtable

In September of 2019, 30 community organizations gathered for a Roundtable on Mental Health and Addictions at the invitation of former North Bay Mayor Al McDonald. The group was charged with identifying gaps in the community related to mental health and addiction services, poverty reduction, and homelessness, and coming up with an Action Plan to address these gaps.

Following the meeting, the Mayor’s Roundtable Action Team began working with partners in the community on priorities, including development of transitional housing, implementation of needs-based planning and the creations of 24/7 community supports. 

Since that time, a number of new initiatives have been launched to help better serve vulnerable and marginalized populations and to address community concerns, including:

• The Healthy Community Ambassador Program - provides outreach services to vulnerable people in the Downtown area and support to business owners and patrons.
• Low Barrier Shelter – provides 20 shelter spaces at 590 Chippewa Street.
• Transitional housing units - Through Provincial funding partnerships, DNSSAB is constructing 36 transitional and supportive housing units at 590 Chippewa Street, 16 of which are slated to open in early 2021.
• Community Resource Patrol – consisting of four officers and a sergeant, this new unit was launched in November of 2020 to take proactive approach on issues such as property crimes and break-ins in areas such as the downtown.