Housing & Homelessness Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes
The Housing department has applied for additional funding through the federal government’s Reaching Home program in an effort to switch from emergency response investments to permanent solutions including permanent supportive housing. We have not yet received a response on this funding request.
The provincial government has indicated that a second wave of funding may be provided under the SSRF program, but no details are known at this point.
J. Binder states there has been discussion regarding funding for rapid response due to COVID-19. CMHC is delivering on the commercial component for retail facilities that are suffering from rent loss. The best way to deliver to people that need it most whether it is for a short term or potentially longer, is to accelerate the construction of new housing units.
J. Zuk advises the homeless outreach workers funded by the City of Windsor have continued to operate during COVID-19 and there have been no disruptions in service. The MOST (Mobile Outreach and Support Team) van, a partnership between Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare, Canadian Mental Health Association, Family Services Windsor-Essex, Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario and the City of Windsor was suspended at the beginning of the pandemic. The suspension of the program at the beginning was due to it being uncertain how to have four staff members in and prevent a large number of people from congregating around the van. The partners have been working to bring the van back, but in lieu of working from the van, the outreach workers have been on the street and at the day program at Windsor Waterworld to assist. She commends the City of Windsor as at the beginning of the pandemic, when the restaurants were closed and there were no plans for the homeless individuals to get food, to use a washroom or to wash their hands, the City acted quickly not only to get the day programs running, but also to bring in port-a-potties.
E. Hill indicates his organization was able to maintain contact with their tenants through the telephone and to complete some applications by phone for the Keep the Heat Program. They were a contact for the University of Windsor as they had phone service and were able to continue to affect many emergency repairs.
L. Vachon reports they are grateful for the grant they received to assist with staff and for the security that dealt with the mental health population to keep people restricted from where they were going and monitoring to ensure they had hand sanitizers and practiced social distancing. She adds they have struggled where other organizations could look to directives, i.e. retirement homes of the long-term care act or with developmental services. Other than the municipality, they do not have a regulatory body that says at this unprecedented time this is what you should be doing. She notes there has not been a positive COVID-19 case in their facility with the staff or residents.