Further discussions at the recent city council meeting surrounding community safety and well being through homeless and poverty prevention.
Councillors considered a report surrounding strategies to achieving this at the Dec. 20, 2021 meeting, voting in favour of following through with what was recommended. The report that came to council was in response to a previous meeting where staff were directed to provide options for an approach to finance, leverage, and influence solutions to address homelessness in Thunder Bay.
Homelessness and poverty issues have clearly been more significant because of COVID-19. Action is so crucial at this point of the pandemic, as many of the emergency funding available from the federal government have expired at this time.
“More focus is being put on it by society,” stated At-Large Councillor Mark Bentz. “Many of us are asking why it exists to the extent it does, why people are suffering, and how we can help. That was the idea behind council wanting this strategy I think. As I read the report, I thought it was a very well thought out strategy and gives us a roadmap to three broad strategies that aren’t all fully flushed out yet, but further reports will be coming to council with recommendations, I think that’s a good approach.”
The three strategies in the plan are:
1. Strategy One – Leverage Outside Capital Investment through Community Partnership
funding
2. Strategy Two – Enhance Operating and Project Funding through Community, Youth and
Cultural Funding Program
3. Strategy Three – Focused Advocacy and Coordination
A full breakdown of the three strategies can be found on the council agenda.
Consultation played a significant role in establishing the plan. Some of the documents that were looked at include Building a Better Tomorrow: Thunder Bay Drug Strategy 2017-2021, the Community Safety & Well-Being Plan, and Under One Roof: A Housing and Homelessness Plan 2014-2024.
While money was discussed, specific financial implications will come forward at future council meetings. How much a given project will cost is often part of the discussion at city council, but Drug Strategy Coordinator Cynthia Olsen talked about how helping the homeless population will benefit the city fiscally in the long run.
“What I can share with you is that the homeless have identified in emergency services, so a hospital bed would be about $10,900 a month,” explained Olsen. “It may be a combination of many things. Staying at a shelter bed for extended periods of time, potentially periods of incarceration and periods of emergency services, it really would add up.”
The report also mentions the The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, which identifies three principle ways to address homelessness:
1. Prevention – preventing individuals from experiencing homelessness in the first place
2. Emergency Response – while someone is homeless, providing emergency supports such as shelter, food, and day programs
3. Housing, Accommodation, and Supports – moving people out of homelessness through the provision of housing and ongoing supports
The report at this stage received unanimous support from council.
