Wow. We posted a story on our Facebook site earlier this week and it has reached more than 1,100 people. It's clear the story is resonating with you. It's about how the city of Victoria is considering micro-housing as a way to reduce homelessness.
During the last year, there has been a lot of discussion about solving homelessness. The latest strategy that has caught people's attention is often referred to as housing first. The idea is you can eliminate homelessness by putting everyone who is homeless into their own home. Maybe it's a rooming house, maybe it's subsidized apartments, maybe it's micro-units.
Last year, during his campaign, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson pledged an extra $2 million to fight homelessness and increase affordable housing. He told the Ottawa Citizen he would like to reduce emergency shelter use by 15 per cent during the next five years.
I applaud those efforts and it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on reducing homelessness.
However, anyone who works with the homeless knows that simply providing a home isn't always enough. Without a doubt, having shelter is the first step to stability. That's why we have supportive living homes Brigid's Place, St. Andrew's Residence, Hope Living and The Oaks. It's why we do more than just run a shelter for men and women on King Edward St. All of these places do more than just provide a roof over someone's head. Depending on which site you visit, the residents are getting support for mental health issues, they're being seen by medical staff, they're being fed, they're being treated for addictions and more. And we're also giving them the skills that will hopefully allow them to live more independently one day.
I won't get into all of the details in this one blog post. But if you want to read more about our programs and services, you can visit our website.
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