Northumberland County report raises uncomfortable questions about the level of service being delivered by some organizations
Not every number in Northumberland County’s latest 310 Committee report represents a success story.
Some represent a question.
A pretty big one.
The County’s report covering March 3, 2025, to June 30, 2026, lists the outside organizations providing onsite services at 310 Division Street.
Some were there hundreds of days.
Others were there dozens of days.
And then there are organizations that were recorded as being onsite for just one day during an entire 16-month period.
That should raise eyebrows.
Among them is Green Wood Coalition.
The organization was onsite at 310 Division Street for one day.
One day in 16 months.
That’s not a typo.
And Green Wood isn’t alone.
The County report shows a number of organizations with only a single recorded day onsite, including:
- Green Wood Coalition — 1 day
- Community Housing Transformation Centre — 1 day
- Northumberland United Way — 1 day
- Gate 316 Outreach — 1 day
- St. John Church — 1 day
- Fareshare Food Bank — 1 day
- Community Health Centre Northumberland — 1 day
- Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health Unit — 1 day
- Living Well HME — 1 day
- Outreach — 1 day
- NASC — 1 day
- Cornerstone — 1 day
- Forecast — 1 day
- Integrated Rehab — 1 day
- Community Care Northumberland — 1 day
- Haircutting Service — 1 day
- Inclusion Northumberland — 1 day
- YMCA — 1 day
Now, to be fair, the report only measures onsite days at 310 Division Street.
It does not measure telephone calls.
It does not measure outreach somewhere else in the community.
It does not measure advocacy.
It does not measure meetings.
It does not measure people served outside the building.
So one day onsite does not automatically mean an organization is doing nothing.
But that doesn’t mean the number should simply be ignored.
Because the contrast is enormous
Look at what other organizations are doing.
SE Health — 209 days.
NHH Assertive Community Treatment Team — 199 days.
Hope and Light Outreach — 187 days.
Nursing/PSW Support — 178 days.
Northumberland County Outreach — 108 days.
NHH Community Mental Health — 77 days.
OATC/CATC Port Hope — 63 days.
Northumberland Paramedics — 45 days.
Serenity Addiction Recovery Group — 35 days.
The Help Centre — 33 days.
These organizations have a sustained presence.
They are showing up.
Again and again.
The difference between one day and 199 days isn’t subtle.
And then there is Green Wood Coalition
Green Wood deserves particular attention because of its prominent role in the public conversation surrounding homelessness, housing insecurity and vulnerable people in Northumberland.
It is one thing for an organization providing a specialized service to appear once because it was called in for a specific purpose.
It is another thing when an organization associated with a major community issue appears on the County’s service-provider list for one day in 16 months.
That doesn’t prove Green Wood isn’t doing important work.
But it certainly invites the question:
What is the organization actually doing on the ground?
If its work is happening somewhere else, fine.
Tell the public.
If it is providing outreach elsewhere, how much?
If it is helping people secure housing, how many people?
If it is advocating for systemic change, what has changed?
If it is connecting people with services, how many people have been connected?
Those aren’t unreasonable questions.
They are accountability questions.
The one-day club
And Green Wood isn’t the only organization that deserves to explain what its one-day appearance actually means.
The County report lists organizations involved in housing, food security, health care, outreach, employment, community services and other areas.
For some, one day may be perfectly understandable.
A specialized organization may only need to be onsite for a particular event or service.
But when taxpayers and residents are told there is a complex network of organizations responding to homelessness, poverty, addiction, mental-health problems and other social challenges, there should be some way of determining whether those organizations are actually reaching people and producing results.
A name on a list isn’t a service.
A meeting isn’t necessarily an outcome.
And showing up once isn’t the same thing as maintaining a meaningful presence.
Accountability matters
The people struggling with homelessness, addiction, mental-health challenges and poverty deserve better than a revolving door of agencies that appear occasionally and disappear.
They need services that are available when they need them.
They need consistency.
They need people who know their circumstances.
They need organizations that can follow up.
And they need measurable results.
That is why the County’s report is important.
It provides a rare look at who is actually physically present at 310 Division Street — and how often.
The numbers don’t tell the entire story.
But they certainly tell part of it.
And the part involving Green Wood Coalition is difficult to overlook.
One day in 16 months.
Meanwhile, Hope and Light Outreach was onsite 187 days.
The NHH Assertive Community Treatment Team was there 199 days.
SE Health was there 209 days.
Those organizations may have different mandates, funding models and responsibilities.
But the comparison demonstrates what sustained service delivery looks like.
Don’t hide behind the fine print
The obvious response to criticism of the one-day numbers will be that the report doesn’t capture everything an organization does.
That’s true.
But it cannot become a convenient shield against legitimate questions.
If an organization says its work isn’t reflected by onsite attendance at 310 Division Street, then show the public what is being done instead.
How many people are being helped?
How many are being housed?
How many are being connected to treatment?
How many are receiving ongoing support?
How many cases are successfully resolved?
What measurable outcomes are being achieved?
Those questions should be asked of Green Wood Coalition — and every other organization appearing on the one-day list.
Because the issue isn’t whether these organizations have good intentions.
The issue is whether good intentions are producing results.
Northumberland has people struggling with homelessness, mental illness, addiction, poverty and basic survival.
They don’t need another report filled with agency names.
They need services that show up.
They need services that stay engaged.
And they need results.
The 310 Division Street report gives the public a glimpse of who is showing up.
For some organizations, the answer is almost constantly.
For others, the answer is once in 16 months.
That difference deserves a much closer look.
And when it comes to Green Wood Coalition, the question is particularly simple:
One day at 310 Division Street over 16 months — is that enough?
Services Provided at 310 Division
Data Range: March 3, 2025 – June 30, 2026
*Data excludes visits for maintenance, inspections, pest control, and those visiting for other reasons.
Sector Organization Name # Days Visited
Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services 2
Rebound Child & Youth Services 6
Cobourg Community 16
Community Housing Transformation Centre 1
Community Liaison Committee (CLC) 11
Green Wood Coalition 1
Northumberland United Way 1
Saint Elizabeth Health (SE Health) 209
Contact North 9
Gate 316 Outreach 1
Hope and Light Outreach 187
Salvation Army 4
St. John Church 1
St. Vincent De Paul 2
Trinity United Church 2
Fareshare Food Bank 1
United Food & Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) 4
Canopy Support Services 3
Community Health Centre Northumberland (CHC) 1
Durham Community Health Centre (DCHC) 5
Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough Health U 1
Living Well HME (Home Medical Equipment) 1
Mental Health Engagement and Response Team (M-HEART) 3
NHH Assertive Community Treatment Team 199
Northumberland Paramedics 45
Peterborough Aids Resource Network 3
Cobourg Police Service (CPS) 4
Corrections Service Canada (CSC) 1
Northumberland Legal Centre 12
Victim Services 1
Canadian Centre for Addictions (CCFA) 1
Canadian Mental Health Association HKPR (CMHA) 14
Cornerstone 1
FBC Church/ Serenity Addiction Recovery Group (SARG) 35
Forecast 1
Integrated Rehab 1
Kawartha Therapy Services (KTS) 10
NHH Community Mental Health 77
OATC/CATC Port Hope 63
Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle (NASC) 1
Northumberland County – Outreach 108
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) 17
Outreach 1
The Help Centre 33
Watton Employment 2
A Step Above Foot Care 3
CarePartners 8
Community Care Northumberland 1
Haircutting Service 1
Inclusion Northumberland 1
Laurens Homebuddies 2
Nursing/PSW Support 178
Ontario Health at Home (OHAH) 11
YMCA 1
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
