SARAH WILLIAMS

STAFF WRITER

In an effort to combat growing homelessness in the County, Council has unanimously agreed to build a shelter for those in need of housing. Following an initiative by Mayor Steve Ferguson, Council directed the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation (PECAHC) to search for a property for the shelter and to find funding streams to keep it afloat.

That funding may well come from a just-announced $2.5 million dollar increase in provincial funding for Prince Edward-Lennox and Addington Social Services (PELASS).

Affordable Housing Executive Director Charles Dowdall. (Desirée Decoste/Gazette File Photo)

According to Chuck Dowdall, Executive Director of the PECAHC, the funding “will make a demonstrable difference with respect to the homelessness portion of the housing plan. One of the critical needs in the community concerns transitional and shelter housing. That does not exist here right now. The increased allocation can be focused on such housing.”

CAO Marcia Wallace added that the County qualifies for one-third of the funding, and that with “real projects and real ideas, we can get our share.”

Council acted in the context of the Mayor’s Housing Plan, developed in concert with 15 community organizations, which gives the municipality and its housing partners key goals to direct its efforts for the next five years. The plan identifies the factors informing homelessness here, and relates the first-hand experiences of people who suddenly found themselves without a roof over their heads.

One such community member, Miles, related his experience to Council via Julie Johnson.

“I was living in a triplex knowing the house would be sold. My landlord gave me four days to move out, and provided a lead to someone who would let me reside with them. But after taking steps to move, I was turned away for having too many belongings,” explained Miles. “I found myself homeless. I ended up finding a place in the woods where I would spend the next several months. The affordable housing crisis is the most important in the County bar none. The County way of life is a wonderful way of life, but if we don’t deal with this many more people will be forced to leave.”

Miles is far from being alone.

The Housing Plan insists safe, appropriate and affordable housing choices must be made available to all residents. It also suggests an immediate and coordinated response to homelessness. The plan is “a living document,” written in the context of the federal National Housing Strategy.

“Over the years, there’s been an awful lot of hand wringing amongst social service agencies, councils, and staff about how best to address a problem we knew existed — but there was nothing really specific in front of us until receiving this report,” said Mayor Ferguson.

“I don’t recall a report that so clearly articulates a problem that will likely grow and expand in the years ahead. It came together with the participation of 15 organizations. It is an extraordinary report and I urge the public to read it. It provides context related to the current situation and lays out next steps that will provide options for those displaced or aspiring to obtain affordable and attainable housing. We’ve heard anecdotal evidence first-hand this evening. The information throughout the report is extraordinary and compelling,” said Ferguson.