In a bid to help with the homelessness crisis in Chatham-Kent, Chatham-Kent council is going to look at a variety of options for the future of emergency shelter for the local homeless population.
Council had a report on their agenda at their online meeting on Monday night about possibly creating a partnership with Hope Haven—a homeless shelter located in downtown Chatham to provide overnight shelter for the homeless.
However, Dr. April Rietdyk, Chatham-Kent’s general manager of Community Human Services, said a few alternatives for emergency housing have come up in the last week and should be brought to council in the near future.
Council agreed to have administration look at the options and alternatives that have become available and prepare a report, which is now expected to come back to council at the April 4 meeting.
Timing is imperative, as the current emergency housing provider, Travelodge, a hotel located on Bloomfield Road, has told the municipality they are pursuing other endeavours as a hotel and have no interest in extending their contract to be used as a temporary shelter for the homeless as of the end of May.
Travelodge has been the host of the existing Chatham-Kent Rapid Rehousing Program for the past two years, providing approximately 45 beds a night.
