From left, CK Mayor Darrin Canniff, Director of Employment and Social Services Polly Smith, ROCK Missions Operations Coordinator Renee Geniole, and Hope Haven General Manager Loree Bailey. (Photo by Kirk Dickinson/ CKXS News)
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is encouraging the community to gain a better understanding of homelessness in the community through a new multi-media campaign.
The municipality has partnered with ROCK Missions and Chatham Hope Haven to launch CK Cares, a campaign that aims to build community support for ending homelessness in Chatham-Kent.
Through the campaign, the municipality will share the current situation within CK and information about the work community partners are doing to support those in need. That work includes operating emergency and transitional housing and delivering services that help people achieve long-term stability.
The municipality said it will utilize online resources, social media posts, and local advertising to help share information and dispel common misconceptions about those experiencing homelessness.
“When people have the facts and the background and factors that contribute to homelessness, I know people will be more supportive of the work that we’re doing,” said Polly Smith, Chatham-Kent’s director of employment and social services.
According to the municipality, the cost of rent in Chatham-Kent has doubled over the last four years and affordable rental properties are becoming harder to find.
Smith pointed to poverty and the lack of affordable housing as the most common causes of homelessness in the community.
“When you add in the recent pressures of inflation, it means that many new people are becoming homeless each week,” said Smith. “In October, we saw 21 individuals housed through our various programs, but 17 people fell into homelessness for the first time. We don’t want any resident of Chatham-Kent to have to experience that.”
Smith added that there are three new people attending Victoria Park Place homeless shelter each week who have not accessed emergency housing services in the past.
In 2021, approximately 500 residents experienced homelessness in Chatham-Kent.
Chatham-Kent and its community partners are encouraging local residents to visit the Let’s Talk Chatham-Kent website for more information about the CK Cares initiative, and to engage with the campaign online through the hashtag #CKCares.
