Fri Jan 26: Diamond Motor Inn Sells for $3+ Million to Grey County for Emergency Shelter

Plus: Habitat for Humanity opens applications for a home in Hanover; Attack sign goaltender Matthew Koprowski

The big news today is Grey County’s intention to purchase the Diamond Motor Inn for $3.05 million.

In a media release yesterday afternoon, the County said the purchase will support upwards of 13,000 nights of accommodation to residents experiencing homelessness throughout the year.

The short-term emergency housing program currently costs around $120 per night per room. The purchase of the Diamond Inn reduces this cost to a projected $52 per night.

If those cost savings are realized, this is a smart move for the County. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the increased need for emergency shelter in sight, and the cost of keeping people in for-profit hotels has outstripped taxpayers’ ability to fund it. The short-term emergency housing program ran a deficit of $427,000 in the 2023 calendar year.

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Read more about this development in the news headlines below, plus updates from Habitat for Humanity, Georgian College, the Owen Sound Attack, and more.

~ Miranda

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