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Fate of downtown Welcoming Streets Initiative could rest in hands of city council

Funding to make peer outreach worker project permanent will be part of city budget deliberations
20190114 downtown guelph ts 1
Tony Saxon/GuelphToday

A pilot project that puts a peer outreach worker on the streets of Downtown Guelph could become permanent if approved in upcoming city budget discussions.

The Welcoming Streets Initiative was launched last summer as a five-month pilot project by the Downtown Guelph Business Association, the County of Wellington, Guelph Police and the Community Health Centre.

Welcoming Streets involves a the outreach worker working with both local businesses and at risk members of the Downtown Community to provide outreach services as needed.

The worker bridges the gap and acts as a conduit between social service agencies, street identified people dealing with poverty, mental and physical health issues and businesses.

“We’re hoping, and believe, that the city is going to take on funding of it,” said Marty Williams, executive director of the Downtown Guelph Business Association.

“If the city doesn’t have a commitment or come up with the money, the pilot would end in March,” he said.

“Fingers crossed.”

It costs about $75,000 a year to operate, Williams said.

Mayor Cam Guthrie said in his inauguration speech in December that he would be asking staff to look into funding options for the program.

Williams said the program has been very successful from the DGBA’s standpoint.

“It was a great project and our members, especially at street level, were really happy to understand better what the nature of the situation was and who was working on it,” Williams said.

“Street-level business people are very happy about it. We’re glad that it worked and really happy and hopeful that the city is going to pick it up and continue it.”

The program was scheduled to wrap up at the end of 2018 but has been extended with gap funding until the end of March, at which time Guelph City Council will have completed the 2019 budget process that was delayed by the municipal election.

Williams said his discussions with city staff has been positive.

“The city has said ‘this is an important thing and should be funded from central coffers,” Williams said.

It will be up to city council to decide whether that will happen, likely as an expansion item in the tax-supported operating budget. That proposed part of the budget will be presented to council on Feb. 7.


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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