THUNDER BAY — Organizations interested in managing a temporary shelter village for the City of Thunder Bay have a lot of work to do between now and June 25, the deadline for submitting bids.
The city has posted a lengthy and detailed list of requirements for proposals to manage the village and arrange for multiple support services to occupants.
A modular housing complex to accommodate 80 to 100 people will be established before the end of the year 785 Dock Street in the Kam River Heritage Park.
The city's request for proposals to administer the site and arrange for both on-site and off-site supports outlines three key objectives:
- reduce encampments in public spaces through the provision of accessible transitional shelter
- support successful transitions from homelessness into housing
- ensure clients are connected to the services and supports needed to sustain housing over the long term
The initiative has a planned lifespan of five years, and is part of the city's Enhanced Encampment Responses: A Human Rights-based Community Action Plan.
"The operational model must allow couples to cohabitate, permit pets, and ensure that active substance abuse is not a barrier to residency," the RFP states. "The operational model must facilitate a living accommodation which is part of a program providing rehabilitative services, therapeutic services, services intended to support employment, or services intended to support life skills development."
The village will be exempt from some provisions of the province's Residential Tenancies Act, which provides for occupancy to be terminated when it's determined that the objectives or rehabilitative or therapeutic services have been met or will not be met.
Proponents must provide a description of the supportive services to be provided on-site and off-site.
Organizations submitting bids must demonstrate the ability to collaborate with city staff and partner agencies to ensure coordinated and trauma-informed service delivery, and the ability to collaborate with the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board as a partner in data sharing, system planning and integration of housing and homelessness services.
Bidders are required to outline a "fair and transparent" intake process prioritizing low-barrier access and harm reduction principles, and how they would develop and implement individualized transition plans to move clients into appropriate housing.
The city also wants a detailed description of a staffing model for 24/7 full-time on-site operations and oversight, how recruitment and training of managers, frontline staff, security personnel and maintenance workers will occur, and how staff will be trained on trauma-informed care, Indigenous cultural awareness, deescalation, harm reduction, and first aid including mental health first aid.
Security and safety measures are also highlighted in the RFP.
Bidders must provide details of subcontracted on-site security to promote safety in the complex and the surrounding neighbourhood, provisions for the management of weapons, and an emergency-response plan.
"Describe how a harm reduction approach to safety and substance use, balancing resident autonomy with community wellbeing, will be adopted," the RFP states.
The city also wants to know what mechanisms will be used to address neighbourhood concerns, promote transparency, and foster trust.
A contract is expected to be awarded sometime in July, and the city has targeted Oct. 31, 2025 as the ideal date for at least partial occupancy of the village, with a hard deadline of Dec. 31.
The city's budget for operating costs is set at a maximum of $1.5 million a year.
