Built For Zero Launches in Canada
March 6, 2019
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) has launched a new national effort to end chronic homelessness after its 20,000 Homes Campaign successfully housed 21,254 of Canada's most vulnerable homeless people.
Built for Zero Canada (BFZ-C) is an ambitious national change effort helping a core group of leading communities end chronic homelessness – a first step on the path to eliminating all homelessness in Canada. Read more here.
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) has launched a new national effort to end chronic homelessness after its 20,000 Homes Campaign successfully housed 21,254 of Canada's most vulnerable homeless people.
Built for Zero Canada (BFZ-C) is an ambitious national change effort helping a core group of leading communities end chronic homelessness – a first step on the path to eliminating all homelessness in Canada. Read more here.
HEART program Launches in Barrie
Press Release
June 8, 2018 | Barrie, ON There is an affordable housing crisis in Simcoe County, which is affecting Barrie as a city. In the downtown, homelessness is becoming more visible as a result. For the 2017-2018 winter season, the Centralized Shelter Intake program saw an average of 70 individuals seeking shelter per night, up from an average of 40 in previous years. This increase was in addition to those already staying in our local shelters, which were also exceeding capacity through the winter. To help connect those experiencing homelessness in our downtown to the services they need, the Barrie Chapter of the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) is rolling out the HEART (Housing Engagement and Response Team) program. The HEART program aims to engage all people who are living, or at risk of living, on Barrie's streets by delivering walking street outreach to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in and around Barrie, from May to November. “Our outreach workers offer respectful engagement and immediate, judgment-free supports,” said Sara Peddle, Executive Director of the Busby Street Centre and Chair of SCATEH. “Everyone is houseable, and that will be our ultimate goal. The only solution to homelessness is housing and appropriate supports.” |
Building on the downtown walking outreach pilot program that the Busby Centre has been offering for the last two years, this initiative is a collaboration of several agencies offering social services, including the Gilbert Centre, Youth Haven, the Regional Housing First Team, Barrie Housing Resource Centre, and the Barrie Community Health Centre. “The Busby Centre has long been a trusted leader in assisting those experiencing homelessness in Barrie,” notes SCATEH Barrie Chapter Chair Jennifer van Gennip. “This collaboration is exciting as it will mean a broader coordination of services to offer to someone in their time of need. Many people are experiencing homelessness out of a lack of choice in housing, financial stability, health, access to treatment, etc. This program aims to support people where they are at, while empowering them to regain choices in their lives.”
The initiative is being welcomed by the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA). “The Downtown is an inclusive community. It is more than just a commercial district. Our involvement in the HEART program gives us the opportunity of being part of the solution to end homelessness and build a strong community.”
HEART members will be patrolling the downtown from 6-8am each weekday morning, and weekends from 4-7pm. They’ll be out in pairs, and can be identified by their bright purple backpacks. In addition to serving those experiencing homelessness, they will be connecting with business owners to let them know about the supports available, and how to make a referrals if they see someone who looks like they could use some help. The HEART team can be reached at 1-877-845-0840.
About SCATEH
The Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) is a local movement to prevent and end homelessness in Simcoe County. We do this through coordinated strategies, advocacy, and awareness. Learn more at www.scateh.com.
More information:
Sara Peddle: sara@busbycentre.ca
Jennifer van Gennip: jennifer@redwoodparkcommunities.com
The initiative is being welcomed by the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA). “The Downtown is an inclusive community. It is more than just a commercial district. Our involvement in the HEART program gives us the opportunity of being part of the solution to end homelessness and build a strong community.”
HEART members will be patrolling the downtown from 6-8am each weekday morning, and weekends from 4-7pm. They’ll be out in pairs, and can be identified by their bright purple backpacks. In addition to serving those experiencing homelessness, they will be connecting with business owners to let them know about the supports available, and how to make a referrals if they see someone who looks like they could use some help. The HEART team can be reached at 1-877-845-0840.
About SCATEH
The Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) is a local movement to prevent and end homelessness in Simcoe County. We do this through coordinated strategies, advocacy, and awareness. Learn more at www.scateh.com.
More information:
Sara Peddle: sara@busbycentre.ca
Jennifer van Gennip: jennifer@redwoodparkcommunities.com
Community Project in North Simcoe |
Spring 2017
Background:
In May of 2017 Bayshore Property Management Inc. engaged with Shelter Now in an attempt to divert what could have been an acute housing crisis in North Simcoe. A property located in Penetanguishene had gone into receivership and was\is in need of extraordinary renovation and pest extermination. It was identified that of this 29 unit building, 18 occupied units were in great need of assistance. Without this intervention all of these tenants would have been at risk of homelessness. Tenants of this building are some of North Simcoe’s hardest to house suffering from a number of ailments that include mental health, substance abuse and considerable physical disability. Through working with the new property manager and offering support to the residents housing retention was successful. What we did: Service organizations, local businesses and volunteers of North Simcoe came together through pooling our resources, and spent several weeks advocating and assisting residents. Shelter Now accepted the responsibility to lead the project through the coordination of logistics and hands on support. The project would see that residents would have to vacate and prepare their dwellings for treatments. To start this project, agencies came together to allocate staff and resources to this project, plan dates to work together and coordinate services. How we did it: Onsite laundry facilities were installed, the support team spent several weeks assisting residents to clean, bag and store all of their belongings in preparation for a full building bedbug treatment. Several large dumpsters were filled with clutter, and old furniture. Support Staff from Shelter Now, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, The Guest House Shelter, Community Reach, and Wendat Community Programs provided direct support to each resident to ensure compliance. Many other Agencies and local businesses supported this endeavour via monetary donations and in-kind resources. Residents were all asked to vacate their units on June 28th 2017 for the day while the building underwent a $12,000 bedbug treatment paid for by the landlord. The residents were provided with a BBQ lunch while they waited in their parking lot for their new beds to arrive. Upon re-entry to the building The Support Team of this Community Project delivered new beds and household items to each of the residents. Each resident was provided with:
Our most recent calculations have indicated that this project has cost roughly fifty eight hundred dollars; totalling roughly three hundred and twenty five dollars per head. We have concluded that through working collaboratively with local service organizations, businesses, landlords and residents, this has been a very successful housing intervention that has greatly improved the quality of life and access to clean and affordable housing; while also supporting a landlord with a problem that could not have been addressed without support to the tenants. Moving forward, many of our local agencies currently have clients residing in this building, it has also been expressed by the North Simcoe Chapter of Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness, that it is important that we stay engaged with tenants of this residence. Follow up with tenants and the quality of housing will be a priority. This building currently has vacant apartments; we will be working with Bayshore Property Management over the next few months to assist in filling these vacancies. We would like to thank the County of Simcoe and the community as a whole for such generous contributions. It was a community pulling together that really helped this project take shape and secure our success. Sincerely, Sonia Ladouceur, Team Lead Executive Director, Shelter Now |
Testimonials from tenants: "Thank you! It's so nice that people care about us." "I love my new bed, I slept like a baby." "I'm so happy to have the clutter out of my apartment, thanks for helping me." "This was so nice of everyone to help us, don't worry I'll pay it forward." |