Chatham-Kent residents are being given the opportunity to ask questions and discuss homelessness within their community.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is hosting a Facebook Live presentation on Thursday to share enumeration data that has been collected within the community. The general public will then be able to ask any questions.
Municipal staff in partnership with volunteers from partner organizations in Chatham-Kent conducted a “point-in-time count” of the homeless population on October 19, 2021. A total of 171 individuals were identified as being homeless, which is a 144 per cent increase from the last enumeration in 2018.
“Throughout the pandemic, the municipality’s Employment & Social Services Division, along with community partners, have worked to make homelessness as brief and rare as possible,” the municipality said in a news release. “Housing is the only way to end homelessness and as rents increase and vacancies decrease throughout the pandemic, it is becoming harder and it is taking longer for people to return to housing.”
The “Community Presentation on Enumeration” Facebook Live presentation on Thursday will begin at 7:30 p.m.