Guelph’s biggest housing need for the homeless and others at the far end of the housing need continuum is transitional, supportive housing, Guelph City Council heard Monday night.
“Affordable housing is not going to help these folks,” said Randalin Ellery, coordinator of the Guelph and Wellington Task Force for Poverty Elimination, told council.
Ellery was delivering the annual report on the Guelph-Wellington 20,0000 Homes project,
She said affordable housing, short-term housing and social housing does not address the core issues facing many homeless. Nor does it address immediate need.
“People experiencing homelessness can’t wait three to five years” for social housing, she said, referring to the social housing wait list for a one bedroom apartment in Guelph.
“A social housing wait list just is not an option for the people we’re talking about,” Ellery said.
Affordable housing without a support system isn’t the answer, Ellery said.
“They’re at the end of the continuum. They need transitional, supportive housing.”
In discussion with councillors, Ellery pointed to Hamilton and Waterloo as municipalities that have the kind of permanent supportive housing that she would like to see in Guelph, where geared-to-income housing includes a support network of staff support, connections to community services and sometimes security on site.
Despite local efforts, Ellery said the likely solution lies in the federal government’s national housing strategy.
“People are trying to move forward,” she said, asking for council’s advocacy and awareness of the issues and lobbying for more at the advanced level of government.
Ellery’s report showed that a good job is being done in “extremely difficult” circumstances addressing homelessness in Guelph.
The number of “high-acuity” homeless people in Guelph-Wellington decreased from 111 in April 2016 to 70 in October 2017. Part of that success is attributed to a registry Ellery’s organization started maintaining in early 2017.
She said “it’s a reason for our community to celebrate” despite the challenges of living in a city with high rents and little availability.
But Ellery said one of the challenges is that the agency finds housing for homeless, but the average stay in that housing is only four months before they are evicted.
Housing without a support system is is the wrong type of housing for those people, Ellery said.
“We’re burning bridges with landlords and building owners,” Ellery said. “This versatility will not last forever.”
