The need for affordable housing and everything that it entails—such as homelessness, has arguably been the biggest issue facing Chatham-Kent council this term.
Council heard an update on the homelessness issue earlier this month and made plans to work towards addressing the challenging and costly issue in the future.
Councillor Anthony Ceccacci brought in a successful motion to have Chatham-Kent look into options on how to act on the affordable housing and homelessness issue over the next couple of years. Ceccacci’s motion wants administration to bring forward a report with recommendations for council to consider for transitional housing and affordable housing, whether it’s the retrofits or new builds. The report would also touch on possible preferred locations, potentially on municipally owned properties.
The report is expected to come to council later this year, prior to council starting their four-year budget discussions.
Chatham-Kent has dealt with the homeless issue in the past three years in part by creating a municipal homeless shelter. The move was initially seen as a temporary one—however Chatham-Kent, like most Ontario municipalities, has an issue with affordable housing, and it’s recommended that Chatham-Kent continue to operate a homeless shelter for the foreseeable future.
A year ago, Chatham-Kent was in desperate need to find a homeless shelter, after getting notice from a former hotel that they could no longer house a temporary shelter. This led to Chatham-Kent council making a hasty last-minute move to put a homeless shelter in Chatham in the former Victoria Park school, which enraged neighbours for the short notice they received.
Ceccacci said by having staff come up with options to deal with the homelessness issue, it will prevent council being backed into a decision about what to do with a homeless shelter next year when the homeless shelter lease is done at Victoria Park.
In a report to council, staff recommended council provide continued support for new affordable housing, develop a sustainable emergency housing program, as well as lobby the provincial and federal governments for more money for supporting those who are struggling with finding housing.
“This an emergency we are facing in our community,” said Councillor Alyson Storey.
Storey said it’s a national, provincial and local crisis.
“Municipalities are being forced to carry responsibility on our own and it’s completely unacceptable.”
