Sneak peek

The city’s three-storey, $13.5-million, one-stop social services shop is starting to take shape.

Melissa Harrison, chief administrative officer for the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, said putting Ontario Works, Children’s Services and social housing program under one roof will make it a whole lot easier for clients to acquire services without having to traipse all over town.

“Clients won’t have to repeat their stories three different times to three different programs. They’ll be able to come to speak to one individual and apply for all programs at once,” Harrison said.

The 54,000 sq. ft. facility, located adjacent to the Brodie Street Library, will also house a resource centre, with 12 computer terminals that will allow them to research services available in the community, access 211 online and complete online applications for social service programs.

“And they’ll be able to do job searches as well,” Harrison said. “We have a large job program for our clients.”

It also brings social services into the 21st century, said Harrison, adding between 140 and 150 people will be employed when the facility opens next February.

The state-of-the-art facility will be equipped with all the latest technology, which officials hope will expedite a growing Ontario Works caseload that increased by 6.5 per cent in 2010 alone.
One-stop shopping works equally effectively for the staff, Harrison said.

“The staff have worked in various locations over the past decade. For them to all be in one place it is absolutely more efficient and effective for staff to not have to send papers from different offices, to be able to just go and talk to your neighbour right there.

“Think of how efficient that can be for the client as well.”

DSSAB chairman Iain Angus, who on Thursday toured the still-under-construction building for the first time, said now that it’s starting to take shape he’s fully able to see its benefits.

“It’s one thing to look at blueprints and say this looks like nice space. When you get into it and see the kind of area that you’ve created and the allocation of space various office, versus the common areas and what have you, I’m really pleased with the layout and I know it’s going to work well.”

Angus reiterated the importance of constructing a new facility, saying in the long run ownership is more fiscally responsible.

“This building is not going to cost us anything more than our current rent payments are for existing space in the Whalen building, the Chapples building and the Royal Edward Arms,” Angus said. “Fiscally It’s quite a responsible move. Once the mortgage is paid off it will be even less expensive for us to operate,” he said.

The building, which includes radiant water heat on its ground floor, was originally scheduled to open in December, but DSSAB officials have pushed it back a couple of months in order to hit the ground running with the kinks worked out.