As Chatham-Kent continues to grapple with how to address homelessness and encampments, municipal officials are looking to hear from the public.
Chatham-Kent Housing Services has launched an online survey to gather input from local businesses and residents to help guide future policies.
The municipality said it is looking to establish a consistent approach to determine what areas are suitable for an encampment and what areas are not, in an effort to reduce harm to the community and to those living in encampments.
Housing Services cited “several systemic failures” as the root causes for an increase in the number of encampments across Canada. This includes a lack of affordable housing, frozen social assistance rates, insufficient mental health and addiction treatment services, limited accessible emergency shelter space, a broader lack of affordability for basic needs, and insufficient resources at the municipal level to address these issues.
For more information and to fill out the online survey, click here. The survey will remain open until August 30.