Disappointed over Aurora council's decision to reject a transitional housing shelter, a grassroots group of community members joined together to try and rally support for the project.
The controversial Regional Municipality of York shelter project was rejected in a narrow 4-3 vote at a planning committee meeting on Feb. 13.
Adam Mobbs, chair of the steering committee for Aurora Cares, Housing for All (originally named Aurora Cares) said he was “shocked” by council’s decision to reject the much-needed shelter.
The citizens group quickly formed in a bid to give a voice to those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.
Since then, the group has grown, with community members from both Aurora and Newmarket signing up.
“Our numbers are exploding, we’re up to almost 300 members,” he said.
One of the group’s newest members, Lyndsay Breedon, 24, said she had been following the Housing York project for more than a year, and had spoken in favour of it at an early planning meeting before it was eventually rejected by Aurora council.
Breedon, who lives with her parents on Ridge Road, a few hundred metres away from the proposed shelter site at 14452 Yonge St., said she was strongly in favour of the project.
“I felt quite upset about it, I was very excited for this shelter to happen, and I thought it was set to happen.”
Breedon said the group is full of passionate people keen to see the project revived.
“We are a community that prides ourselves on being a community and that means we have to include every single member of that community. We can’t just pretend that they’re not there,” said Breedon.
“It’s an issue that’s just going to keep rising, it’s not something we can just put on pause, because everything in the world is more expensive now.”
Mobbs is hopeful the shelter project can be brought back to the table in the near future, but is keeping the group's strategy confidential until details are confirmed.
Aurora Mayor Tom Mrakas, with councillors Michael Thompson, John Gallo and Harold Kim, voted against the shelter application. Councillors Ron Weese, Rachel Gilliland and Wendy Gaertner voted in favour.
Speaking during the meeting, Mrakas explained why he rejected the project, saying, “I believe the best planning decisions are based on fact and evidence, not emotion.”
“I refuse to be pressured into making a poor planning decision for the community that I represent just so some politicians can check a box, pat themselves on the back and claim they've accomplished something,” Mrakas said.
“It is disappointing this has polarized our community when I believe we are all on the same side of this issue and support the need for transitional and emergency housing in Aurora.”
Contact Aurora Cares, Housing for All at [email protected] or via its Facebook group.
