Municipal officials are looking into more ways to help those experiencing homelessness in Chatham-Kent.
Council voted unanimously Monday night in favour of a motion from Ward 6 representative Brock McGregor’s to have administration prepare a report on expanding current emergency housing availability.
While there is no timeline as when the report would be completed and presented to council, Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff told CKXS News these findings will continue the forward momentum from the tiny cabins project.
“We got about nine different properties that we are developing in various stages across Chatham-Kent, as far as various levels of housing. Affordable housing, transitional housing, supportive housing, all those things. So it’s really important we move forward,” said Canniff.
Council also heard an update on the tiny cabins, learning all 50 are currently occupied.
“We have a waiting list of about 15. And the great success story is that we were able to take nine people from the encampment and put them in the cabins,” said Canniff.
Canniff said there is now the option of adding more cabins to the site, which will be fairly easy to do since the infrastructure is already in place.
Administration estimates the price tag for expanding emergency housing, including the cabin project, could reach $40 to $50 million.