Grey County's New 'Social Navigator' Program Targets Downtown Owen Sound Challenges
Grey County Council approves funding for new downtown social navigator team under the Supportive Outreach Services program, funded through March 2026.
Grey County Council has approved an expansion of its Supportive Outreach Services (SOS) program and will use federal funding to launch a new downtown social navigator initiative in Owen Sound.
At its October 9 meeting, Council supported a staff recommendation to use part of the additional funding available through March 2026 to hire four social navigators who will provide on-the-ground support in the city’s River District.
The navigators will connect unhoused and marginalized individuals to health and social services while also responding to concerns from downtown businesses about issues such as public drug use and discarded needles.
According to the report, two teams of two staff will actively patrol Owen Sound, connecting with individuals and businesses and providing a phone-based response service to downtown concerns.
The initiative will be led by Safe ‘N Sound, a local organization that provides frontline outreach and support.
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The SOS program, launched in 2021 in response to the opioid crisis and growing homelessness across Grey County, takes a community-based approach to harm reduction and crisis response.
It offers overdose prevention, naloxone distribution, drug checking, and mental health and addiction supports, often meeting people in public spaces rather than clinical settings.
According to the staff report, SOS secured additional federal funding earlier this year aimed at expanding rapid-response programs addressing the national opioid and overdose crisis.
The latest round of funding—approximately $432,400—will extend program operations seven days a week and cover new initiatives in Owen Sound through March 2026.
Of that total:
$188,100 will fund the four navigator positions,
$94,300 will go toward materials, supplies, and client support equipment, and
$150,000 will help develop new space within Safe ‘N Sound for client engagement.
The expansion will not require additional funding from Grey County’s budget. Most of the grant will be distributed directly to partner agencies delivering services, with only minor administrative costs offset through existing paramedic program funding.
Grey County noted that staff were aware of ongoing concerns related to homelessness and substance use in downtown Owen Sound, identified through community engagement and feedback, particularly from the business community.
Providing a direct service to address these concerns was identified as a priority, leading to the application for a pilot downtown navigator program to offer on-the-ground support in the city’s core.
The new downtown navigator pilot is expected to begin mid-October 2025 and will operate seven days a week until March 2026.
The program’s goal, County staff noted, is to strengthen connections between vulnerable residents and service providers while easing pressures on emergency and business services in Owen Sound’s core.
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