Community agencies and service providers

An impressive turnout of close to 200 people for the full-day consultation with agencies and front-line workers led to a productive day and wealth of knowledge and ideas.

A great deal of good work is already being done to help people who are homeless, and building on successful programs will be key to the 10-year plan.

Many people said that in addition to the need for more resources, there is a need to make changes to the systems and processes currently in place. Breaking down the barriers that make it more difficult for clients to get back on their feet will require collaboration among all agencies.

Bissell Centre executive director and co-chair of the prevention subcommittee Shelley Williams believes the community engagement and collaboration among groups could be a turning point in the way other related issues are addressed. “I would like to see this as the stepping stone for the way our community deals with the bigger issue of poverty,” she says.

Highlights of input received from the people who work with the homeless daily:

  • Housing is a basic, unconditional human right. People need some place to live, someone to talk to and something to do.
  • Sufficient and sustainable funding and broad collaboration amongst sectors is the foundation for success.
  • Community teamwork and building bridges between organizations must replace piecemeal work by individual agencies. Integrating services and workers will ensure the right hand knows what the left hand is doing.
  • We need to avoid duplication and overlap so clients do not have to repeat their story several times.
  • Multi-district/scattered site housing is key.
  • We need to eliminate barriers to accessing services and housing, for example, support for landlords and agreements to cover damages. Must also ensure landlords provide safe housing.
  • A multi-disciplinary team approach to providing wrap-around services is needed.
  • We must measure results against plan as things progress. We need standardized data collection and evidence-based reporting to document that goals are being met and to have ability to address the need for changes.