Searching for answers to homelessness

A packed audience at Belleville’s Quinte Sports Centre heard a rundown of the issues and possible answers to ending homelessness.

They were attending the City of Belleville Homelessness Summit on Thursday.

“They set goals and they’ve reached some of the goals. A couple of them were to end veterans’ homelessness in their community and they’ve decreased that or eliminated it. And they’ve worked on by lists at looking at the people who don’t have proper living and again we have to move to affordable housing, transitional housing.”

Early in the day the president of the Canadian Alliance to end Homelessness told the audience “Homelessness is a solvable problem.”

Speaking via video, Tim Richter says all three levels of government have a responsibility in this area.

Richter says they must work together to achieve that goal.

Chantal Perry of the Canadian Alliance to end Homelessness April 13, 2023 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)

Chantal Perry of the Alliance pointed to local government as an answer.

Perry says it’s not one person’s job but a shared effort.

She told the audience they have to keep changing.  “There’s no silver bullet you have to keep working together to end homelessness.”

And she said communities need “flexible service dollars” to implement new resources.

The city of Belleville issued the following statement regarding the Summit on Homelessness:

Attendees from the summit included: Bay of Quinte MP Ryan Williams, Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith, Hastings—Lennox and Addington MPP Ric Bresee, representatives from surrounding municipalities, Bridge Street United Church, Grace Inn Shelter, John Howard Society, Salvation Army, Youth Hab Belleville, Canadian Mental Health Association Hastings Prince Edward, Quinte Health Care, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Unit, Belleville Police Service, Quinte Home Builders’ Association, All-Together Housing and more.

The day consisted of presentations from Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, interviews with individuals with lived experience, a panel discussion on what it takes to end homelessness with representatives from the municipalities working through their own homelessness action plans, and a roundtable session with invited guests from the various community organizations and partners.

Each community partner taking part in the event had a chance to voice their concerns, thoughts and ideas. At the end of the day, a number of draft aims and measures for ending homelessness were presented and discussed by the group, including:

• Confirming and sustaining a reliable By-Name List
• Improved information sharing and reporting of homelessness data
• Improved Coordinated Access System development (including expansion of health and justice partners)
• Complete a housing/homelessness resource needs-gap analysis; use it for provincial and federal funding advocacy efforts
• Expanded transitional housing units and housing allowances to support housing affordability
• Reduce chronic homelessness by 25 per cent by March 2027
• End veteran homelessness (reach Functional Zero) by April 2025

Members of the public who would like to provide comment are encouraged to complete the online Homelessness Summit Aims Feedback Survey. Those who require accessibility supports to fully participate in the online survey are asked to contact accessibility@belleville.ca so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

“We are very pleased with the progress made today,” said Mayor Neil Ellis. “By bringing all of our partners together in the same room, we were able to develop actionable items and timelines that we as a community can work towards to address this crisis locally. Belleville City Council is eager to get started on these items and working towards a Belleville where everyone has a place to call home.”

More information and updates will be posted as they are made and available at: Belleville.ca/EndingHomelessness