by Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

While the thrust of their mission has changed somewhat due to circumstances beyond their control, Kevin Taylor, chair of the Little Blue Cabins initiative says that they're still here and still determined to provide solutions to homelessness, addiction issues and helping folks get back on their feet here in Bancroft and the surrounding area. Touted by Taylor as “a facility for people to start over,”
the initiative still aims to do just that, but in an altered form going forward. Taylor and LBC's board invited candidates running for Bancroft council to join then for their Oct. 1 meeting to ask questions of them and elicit their ideas about the initiative and how to make it better and bring it to reality. As Taylor said during the meeting, “we're not dead, we're changing our model. We haven't defined it completely, but we have some really cool ideas.” Taylor comments to The Bancroft Times on this important initiative for folks facing homelessness, addiction, employment and other issues locally and their mission going forward at their board meeting on Oct. 1. 

Little Blue Cabins aims to break the cycle of the homelessness crisis that Bancroft and many communities across Canada are facing by providing access to housing combined with education, health, social services and employment services. Hastings County labelled LBC the model for transitional housing Hastings County, as they were so impressed with the concept. 

Little Blue Cabins, whose slogan is “walking alongside the unhoused towards a fresh start in life” was realized by Taylor after seeing a similar concept in a British T.V. series set in the 1940s called Dr. Finlay, as well as studying similar concepts in Kingston, Hamilton and Newfield, New York; Our Liveable Solutions, HATS, and Second Wind Cottages respectively, and learning from these models. For more information on Little Blue Cabins, visit their website at www.littlebluecabins.ca, email littlebluecabins@gmail.com, or call 613-334-0409.

The homelessness rate in North Hastings if 3.47 people per 1,000 residents, which is more than double the Hastings County average of 1.44 people unsheltered per 1,000 residents. Additionally, the North Hastings Community Cupboard reported a 100 per cent increase in meals served over a two-year span, prompting local petitions for a year-round shelter in Bancroft versus the current seasonal overnight only warming trailer currently on Hwy. 28 next to Hospice North Hastings. 

At their board meeting on Oct. 1, Taylor clarified that while their model for what they'd been planning for the past five years had changed due to circumstances beyond their control, they were still here and ready, willing and able to proceed with a modified version of LBC to help alleviate homelessness employment and addiction issues locally. 

Taylor invited the candidates running for Bancroft council to attend their Oct. 1 board meeting to hear what he had to say about LBC's changing mandate and to invite them to offer suggestions and possible solutions to make LBC's a reality going forward. Tracy McGibbon, Mark Pharand and Joshua MacDonald, who are running for mayor were there, as were several of the other candidates running for council on Oct. 26, including Tracey Stephenson, Judy Edgar and Chris Sheppard. The other candidates were invited to be there but were unable to attend for various reasons, and conveyed their regrets. 

Taylor said that they'd had land in Hastings Highlands but things had changed and the model had changed for what they'd been planning for the past five years. 

“So we thought it was important to invite candidates that are going to be involved in the politics of the community and let you know we're alive and kicking but there will be some changes.  And maybe invite some questions for the candidates present about this issue. So Little Blue Cabins is not dead.  We've been going strong for a few years now and the original model was for an amazing community building with 20 cabins nestled in the woods. And the community building, the hub, was the most important part in my opinion and everyone else's really, because that's where we were going to have mental health counsellors, addictions counsellors and everything coming out to see their 20 clients living in their 20 cabins. And we have volunteers, amazing people, to help us build this community. But we ran into some major roadblocks with the free land we had offered to use, twice now, so it's a little discouraging, and the original concept might not happen the way we envisioned it in the first place,” he says. 

Taylor said there were a few reasons for that, including finding a location where the municipality will help make it happen, and not create any roadblocks to brining it to fruition. 

“I wasn't asking for money but we had roadblocks where we had our free land so that's really disappointing and discouraging. And it made us rethink things this summer and reflect on what we could do to provide these walk around, wrap around services for folks. It's not just housing, which is a big thing, but it's helping them get better, to get established, get training, get education, whatever they need to get a fresh start in life, and that's our slogan and what it's really all about,” he says. 

Over the summer they bandied some ideas about like having individual cabins on people's property if they were amenable to such an arrangement, perhaps having a building in town if one becomes available and the council was okay with them utilizing it for that purpose, even for the community hub, and the folks using the cabins on disparate pieces of property could get transport into town from BCT to get the various forms of assistance they need. 

“All along we've had incredible support from Bancroft. If there was land in Bancroft, I believe we'd already be building. I really do believe that the town council and management have been phenomenal,” he says. 

Another idea was to have a completely self contained off grid cabin that could be moved, with its own plumbing, heat source, and solar power that could be placed on someone's property and moved to another if necessary over time. 

At the meeting on Oct. 1, Taylor and the LBC board discussed some ideas with the Bancroft council candidates that were present, including the prospect of procuring a building in town if one is available to use as LBC's community hub, corporate sponsorship for each cabin, and many more ideas for the initiative going forward. 

MacDonald told the Bancroft Times that LBC is a great idea, and he was surprised it hadn't made it further. 

“I think they should broadcast the idea a little bit more, maybe they could have volunteers for the land or some type of structured system to get those people in somewhere warm for the winter even if it's just temporary,” he says. 

McGibbon told The Bancroft Times that it was a pleasure to be included in the board meeting, not only as a mayoral candidate, but as someone that had been involved in board meetings for LBC in the past.

“The discussions were helpful and there were some great ideas and feedback. Finding solutions to help our unhoused community members is very near and dear to me. I'm thrilled to see that despite hurdles and roadblocks. the Little Blue Cabins board of directors are brainstorming and moving forward with possible new ideas. LBC has a great board of directors especially with Kevin as the chair. He is determined, passionate and an overcomer. I look forward to possibly working with Little Blue Cabins as a community volunteer or perhaps at a mayoral level. LBC is a great initiative, and I have always been in support of it,” she says.

Pharand told The Bancroft Times that he thought the meeting was productive with a fresh perspective.

“I'm optimistic the board will be able to forge ahead with a viable plan to move forward,” he says. “Out of the box ideas can push this initiative to fruition.” 

Taylor reiterated on Oct. 16 that they are looking at changing the model of having 20 cabins and one large building on open property to having one building in town where they can offer different supports and potentially provide several dorm style rooms with the other portion of the project focusing on tiny homes that are permanent for people to move into on various properties throughout North Hastings. 

“We would still look at having a staff of social workers helping to walk alongside the folks in the common building downtown and their private homes when needed. Because our model is changing from what it was, there's still a fair amount of rework to do to provide the best walk around here we can for unhoused individuals in Bancroft and area,” he says. “Little Blue Cabins will have a public information session as soon as we have the plan ironed out more than it is right now.”